Synchronized Love
by ElectricDragon17
Summary: A Ralts defends a boy at a young age, and the boy has been searching for it ever since. Who knew that one day the boy would run into her again when he goes on a journey? Rated M for possible lemons.
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! I really hope you like this since this is my first ever fanfic I've produced to this website! I plan on updating this weekly to keep a consistent schedule, maybe even sooner so be sure to subscribe if ya want! Huge thanks to my good friend Unversed Nurse for helping me with some of the editing. Also, I don't own Pokemon just in case if I need to say that**

Beginning off in a small place named Firestone Town. Firestone didn't have much going on for it, the only good thing good about it being was how quiet and peaceful it was…. at least until school hours started.

Once school hours began, things would be a little more than noisy. All the kids bragged about what Pokemon they caught or how they won their first battle. No one seemed to mind though, they were just kids being kids.

Yet one of them stood out for different reasons, a boy about the age of 5 who had just begun school. It wasn't his height or the way he dressed but rather the palette of his appearance. While most boys would have brown, black, or even blonde hair he had long ivory hair. His eyes had a crimson glow to them, unlike anything anyone had ever seen before in this town.

He suffered from albinism, making his first day of school less than pleasant. He seemed to have a target on his back the moment he walked into the building.

"Woah, look at him, he looks like a freak!"

"What weird eyes, ew…"

"What a creep!"

Comments like these only made up a fraction of the barrage of insults the kids at school threw at him. The more the boy would hear, the more he wanted to go back home.

Fast forward to a few of years later. The day is cloudy and all the children were in the school yard, either playing with other students or on the equipment. All except for the young boy who had been cornered at the edge of the playground in a field where no one would be able to see him or the events soon to unfold.

"You know the drill Snowball, give me your money and I won't hurt you too bad…" A group of kids that were twice his size grinned viciously at him as their leader made his demands.

"I...I don't have any money…" The boy said, backing into the fence that bordered the edge of the forest. With fear evident in his eyes, he searched for escape options only to come up with nothing. Being the typical school bullies they were, most of them were able to get away with whatever they wanted.

"Yea right, I saw your mum give you some before you left the house this morning," said Connor, one of the smaller boys in the group. With his crooked nose and greasy black hair, it was clear why he had a bone to pick with anyone and everyone.

"B-but I don't-" The boy was cut off.

"Listen Snowball, if you keep lying to us, you're only going to get even more hurt." Another boy chuckled. He stood just a bit taller than Connor and went by the name of Jerry. He seemed to be the pretty boy of the group with his fair blonde hair and azure eyes, always wearing more expensive clothing.

"That's not my name!" The boys voice cracked.

"Ah that's right, your mom named you something stupid, didn't she? I would have named you something more appropriate," The largest of them said with a laugh. David, the goliath of his age group who always managed to get away with bullying the other kids. He headed the group of miscreants while bending the school's rule on letting pokemon out during school hours.

"My name isn't stupid! S-Silver is a cool name! My friends said so…" At this point his tension and fear was getting the better of him. What more could an 8 year old do?

"Grab him, I'm done looking at this puny dork…" David said to the other two. They grinned as they closed in on him, Silver closing his eyes and preparing for the worst.

However….it never came. Confused but a little relieved, he peeked open one of his eyes to see what was going on.

The two of them were wrapped in some sort of strange blue light, preventing them to move.

"W-what's going on? I...can't move!" Jerry said, trying to struggling to free himself to no avail.

"My… Body feels frozen...I can't…" Connor grit his teeth as he felt his muscles tense painfully with any movement he tried to make.

Suddenly, they were pushed to the ground harshly, the blue light around them fading and leaving them fast asleep.

"You idiots! What are you doing?" David yelled before looking at Silver with an growl. "Fine! Shadow, come on out!" He threw his pokeball and his faithful Poochyena lept out.

Silver's eyes widened in fear once again. "Y-you can't use that! I don't have a Pokemon!" He tried to plead as the creature growled.

"Oh? Who's gonna stop me? Certainly not you. Even if you did somehow knock him out…" David laugh. "Shadow use bite!"

The Pokemon growled and snarled before launching itself at him, causing him flinch and close his eyes. Suddenly he heard another sound.

A beam impacted the dark type Pokemon, causing it to fly back and into David. Both fell to the ground with an audible thump, completely knocked out.

Silver opened his eyes and looked over at the two, his mouth slightly opened. He turned to see what had come to his aid, seeing a blue Ralts on the other side of the fence with a cheerful grin.

"Are...you..?" He crouched down to get a closer look when an alarmed voice yelled at him.

"Silver!" The Ralts fled as soon as it heard another approaching. He turned around to see one of the teachers rushing over.

"What did you do? Why are these boys out cold?!" She exclaimed.

"I-it wasn't me! They were about to attack me and a pokemon saved me!" He insisted.

"Pokemon? What Pokemon?" The teacher looked around, David's now fainted Poochyena being the only one in sight. "You're coming with me right now young man, you're in big trouble for this!" She scolded.

"B-but I didn't do anything! It was-" He was cut off when the teacher grabbed his arm and started dragging him to the office.

From that day on, the other students began to distance themselves from him thanks to the rumor that he was the one who took down the bullies without any Pokemon to defend him. People were afraid of him, crushing any hope he had at making any friends.

He visited that spot everyday in hopes he would find that Ralts once again...

**And there you have it! I plan to give this a new chapter soon so be sure to stay tuned! Till next time!**


	2. Silver's New Start

**Hello again! First of all I wanted to say thank you all for the support so far, it's really motivating me to continue this further! Second there is one or two things I'd like to clear up. This world is going to be slightly altered, and so are some of the rules for the Pokemon. I'll be sure to introduce the new changes properly so you have no need to worry on that but one example would be like...Pokemon only knowing four moves at a time, so things like that.**

**But anywho...I hope you enjoy the new chapter! I didn't have anyone edit it with me so feel free to point out the mistakes I've made so that I may correct them in the future. Leave your honest thoughts in your reviews, I'm always trying to improve! Enjoy ^^**

Ten years had passed since that day at the playground, ten long years for the boy to grow and mature.

Silver, no longer being the frail little boy he was, had changed quite a bit since those days. He was now 18, a young man who yearned to go out into the world and forge his own path.

Ever since that day at the playground he found he had a fondness for Pokemon, and began to learn more and more with each passing day until he finally knew what he wanted to do.

To his own end, he wanted to become a Pokemon Trainer. He had dreamed about it since that shiny Ralts had saved his life, and his obsession knew no bounds.

Day in and day out, he would begin to study different types of Pokemon on his own time, what types they were, what moves each could learn, and so much more. He seemed especially interested in the Gardevoir though.

From what he read, seeing a Gardevoir or a Ralts in his case is extremely rare. Most Ralts don't survive when they hatch and are easy prey for whatever predator is in the area. Knowing this fact, he knew how lucky he was when that Ralts saved him that one day, and hoped that maybe he could find it on his journey. He hoped that maybe, even after ten years, it would still be around.

Currently, Silver was beginning to pack for his journey. It is a Sunday morning where the sun is shining high and the birds were singing. A certain mother was watching as he packed.

"Oh sweetie...seems like only yesterday you were just a little boy, and now look at you, going out into the world" A feminine figure sighed, watching the young man pack his things into his bag.

"You know what they say mom, time flies when you're having fun." Silver replied, putting a few potions into the bag.

"I do hope you'll be careful out there, did you pack a tent? Food? You didn't just fill the bag with toys now did you?" The mother brooded over him, anxiously trying to look over his shoulder to see what he was packing.

Silver gave a short chuckle and turned around towards her, a small smile breaking across his face. "I haven't played with toys since I was nine, don't worry I'll be alright mom...I'm more than ready to do this" He said with a nod, nothing but determination in those crimson eyes of his.

She sighed to herself, knowing there was no way of convincing him to wait even one more year.

The original age used to be 11, but with a fatal accident of a child it was raised to 18 due to a fatal accident a while back, and so it was decided that kids were no longer allowed to go out on these journeys on their own anymore.

She remembered how heartbroken he was to learn he wouldn't be able to go at that time, so holding him back now would only make him even more unhappy. She of course knew he didn't like it here in Firestone with all the bullying he's endured.

"I know honey, but I am your mother so of course I'm going to worry. What if you get hurt while you're out there? Some Pokemon can be viscous" Her anxiety swelled with all the thoughts of what could go wrong.

"That's why I'll have a Pokemon to protect me. Speaking of...the Professor wanted to see me before I left, right? I wonder what he wants from me…" Seems he was still slightly oblivious on how these journeys worked.

"From what he told me he's meant to be giving you your first Pokemon…" She told him, giving a slight smile when she saw his excitement upon hearing this.

"No way! I thought I would have to catch it, but I'm just getting one? Awesome!" Silver laughed, his thoughts going wild on what he would be getting. Maybe a Charmander? A Bulbasaur? A Torchic? His mind was racing at the possibilities.

"He's in his lab right now if you'd like to see him, I hear that he has three for you to choose from" The mother said with a kind smile. Seeing her little boy so happy almost made her feel that much better.

"Great! I'll go over right now, thanks mom! I'll be back in a bit!" Silver said before grabbing his bag and quickly putting on his shoes, bolting out of the door as soon as he had them on.

She shook her head as he left, chuckling a small bit to herself. "Just like your father…" She said to herself after he had left.

Firestone town had changed over the course of a few years. It wasn't a small little town anymore as it was a city. During his high school years, the entire town had a big expansion, leading to one of the most prosperous cities in the region. In fact it was to be named capital in a couple of months.

The buildings that scattered around the place were impress to look at, both from a distance and up close however most of them were still under construction. Firestone City it was now called, and what a city it was.

Though it's never felt like home to Silver, not when it was a Town and not now as a City. He was glad he wouldn't have to be dealing with it anymore as he had too many bad memories about this place.

Along his way there, while he ran across the concrete sidewalk, he had crossed paths with a familiar group, the gang of bullies that had almost beaten him up ten years ago. They blocked his path, forcing him to stop.

"Where do you think you're going shrimp?" Jerry said with a smug smile.

"Enough Jerry, let the boy through...we don't need anymore trouble." David said whilst smoking a cigarette. This sentence had shocked the other two, but Silver even more so.

"What are you saying? I thought you hated this kid?" Connor asked, assuming that he did for many many years.

Since the day they tried to pick on him, they've began to leave Silver alone more and more over time. There was one or two mishaps he's had with the group but nothing too major to mention.

"No, I don't hate this kid Connor, he's just an annoying brat is all...not worth our time…" He took a long drag before letting out a smoke cloud. "Besides, he's not going to be our problem much longer"

"Oh that's right, gonna be going on a little journey huh? Haha, wow you really are a loser" Jerry said before stepping out of his way. "Well go on then, but next time if we meet I might not be so friendly."

That was then David grinned. "You better heed that warning well Snowball, I'm not looking to injure you physically anymore, but mentally so...now get out of here before I change my mind.." He chuckled.

"I uh...alright...then?" Silver said highly confused before walking through the middle of them, with Connor bumping his shoulder on purpose.

Once Silver had gotten away from them, he breathed out in relief. "Looks like I'm in the clear, good thing as well. I'm not looking to fight today…" He said to himself before stopping, being right outside the Professor's lab. "Not yet anyway…" He smiled to himself.

One of the major changes to the city is that it had a new professor, and not just any ordinary lab. This was a super lab, built specifically to conduct extensive research on the local Pokemon here. The man in charge of this operation was named Professor Dusk, an expert in the field of Pokemon and one of the very best scientists known to this city.

As Silver had entered, he came up to a front desk, seeing a lady smiling kindly at him. The place definitely looked the part for a lab, but he found it strange that they had a front desk for it.

"How may I help you, sir?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm here to see the Professor? I'm looking to begin my journey" Silver replied in a kind but nervous tone, this place unnerved him a small bit for whatever reason.

"Ah, you must be Silver then, I didn't expect the name to fit" She giggled before gesturing to the right of her, a metal elevator for him to use. "Just go down this elevator and you'll find him, bottom floor"

"T-thank you.." He nodded politely before heading over to the elevator eagerly. He was excited to finally get his first Pokemon, after so many years of waiting.

As the elevator was going down he had to wonder what that lady meant. His name fit him? He then realized she must have been referring to the hair. He felt stupid not realizing that at first but oh well he supposed, now was not the time to gloat.

The elevator stopped at the bottom floor and opened for him to exit which he did so cautiously. It was much more intimidating down here than it was in the lobby area. There was a sickly green lighting to the area, with heavy machinery and servers here and there. It reminded him of a super villains lair.

"Ah, there you are my boy, I was wondering when you'd come by…" He heard a voice call out to him as he was zoned out, snapping him back into reality as he looked forward. "Been a while, huh Snowy?" A large man said with a hearty laugh. He wore a lab coat and cargo pants, with plain shirt beneath his coat.

"Professor Dusk…" Silver said coming up to him. The man himself was an interesting fellow. He loved to crack all these jokes with Silver whenever he would see him, calling him nicknames like Snowy or Snowcone. Silver didn't particularly mind these nicknames as it was all in good nature, however he did find it annoying after a while. Better than Snowball at least.

"I haven't seen you in a while, not since you tried to sneak off into that forest all by yourself a couple years back, how're you kid?" He asked.

"I-I'm doing alright, for the most part anyway haha…" Silver nervously chuckled.

"Looks like you're ready to go out into the world finally, how you youngins grow so fast, it's a shame you'll be leaving us but no time for speeches I'm afraid! Come along with me, I'm sure you know what's about to come next.." The professor said with a chuckle, motioning for the boy to follow as he began to walk into another room next to this one. The doors automatically slid open as they approached.

"You mean I really get to finally choose my own Pokemon?" He asked excitedly. The young man practically brimming with excitement.

The professor gave a hearty laugh. "How perceptive! Then again I suppose your mother already spoiled it for you, how is she by the by?" He asked before walking over to a table with three Pokeballs on it.

"She's doing well, though I think she's a bit sad I'm leaving home like this…" He responded with a small chuckle.

"Makes sense, after all you are her only son so of course she'll be worried" The professor smiled before turning his attention to the Pokeballs "Now then, you have three Pokemon to choose from."

He pointed to one on the far left "This one here is a Treecko, a grass type pokemon. They're very loyal and usually calm Pokemon however this one is slightly aggressive and difficult to manage."

He then pointed to the middle one. "This is a Torchic, a fire type Pokemon. They're very difficult to master since they usually have a temper that goes with them...them being fire type and all. But once you have one by your side, you have them forever."

And finally he pointed to the last Pokeball. "Last but not least we have Mudkip, a water type. Mudkip vary from personality to personality, some of them being calm and collected while some others being a bit impulsive."

"Oh! I get it, it's based on their types huh? Calm like the water or wild like a wave..?" Silver mused while the Professor laughed a small bit at that.

"Now you're catching on. Yes, most Pokemons personality do somewhat vary on what type they are, but never forget that no matter how stubborn they can be, always treat them with care and they'll show it back to you in their own way…" Dusk said with a small smile.

The white haired boy smiled and nodded "Right, give respect gain respect, got it...in that case I'll choose…" He looked at the three of them pondering for a moment.

He supposed a Mudkip would be nice to have, or a Torchic if he wanted to challenge himself a little. But the Treecko seemed to catch his interest. "Can you tell me more about the Treecko?" He asked the Professor.

"Oh, I don't exactly recommend starting out with him, this one is a pretty stubborn one for whatever reason. See, we got him last week from another Trainer who didn't want it, and ever since then he's been very difficult to manage. I would start with one of the other two instead." The man advised.

Silver took another moment to think before shaking his head. "Thanks for the input but...I think I'll take the Treecko after all. I feel like me and him could get along pretty well for some reason." He smiled at the man, a determined look on his face. Silver didn't have a reason for wanting the Treecko other than a gut feeling he had, and he always went with his gut feeling.

Professor Dusk sighed defeated and gave a smile to the young trainer. "How can I say no when you look so determined? Fine but don't say I didn't warn you…" He then picked up the Pokeball and released it, the Treecko materializing on the table next to the other two Pokeballs.

"_Treecko..?_" The grass Pokemon looked around confused, wondering why it had been released from its ball before its gaze landed on the albino human in front of him.

Treecko seemed to give him a glare and then looked back at the Professor. "_Cko!_" It handed him its Pokeball back.

"Now Treecko, come on...give someone a chance. I assure you they won't be like your last trainer, especially this boy here…" Upon hearing this the Treecko looked back at the boy with a skeptical gaze.

"Hey, don't worry. I have no idea what your last trainer was like but I promise to take good care of you. You can even stay out of your Pokeball with me if you want!" Silver tried to convince it with that, hoping that maybe that would tide him over.

"_Treecko…_" The Pokemon seemed to consider this for a moment, looking back and forth between them.

After a moment of silence the Pokemon hesitantly nodded but then pointed to its Pokeball. "_Cko_" It tried to tell the human.

"You want back in your Pokeball before travelling?" Silver asked before it nodded to confirm what he was saying. "So you want to travel with me?" He began getting his hopes up, a sudden smile breaking out across his face.

The Pokemon sighed before pressing the button himself, going back to the Pokeball on his own free will.

The Professor gave a small chuckle. "That's not how I thought that would go but...now you got your first Pokemon...I think?" Dusk seemed to think it was a strange bond, and he honestly thought it would take more convincing for that to happen.

The man handed the Pokeball to Silver. "Haha! I did it! My first Pokemon!" Silver laughed in joy. "Thanks Professor, I promise I'll take good care of it"

"I'm more worried about you than the Treecko, but that enthusiasm will have its uses on your journey…" The man smiled before walking over to another table. It had some equipment on it that was essential for a trainer.

"Alright, now listen well young Silver, there are a few things you need to know before going on your journey…"

The Professor began telling the young man things he would need to know on his journey, such as how to use Pokeballs and the fancy new Pokedex he was just given. In addition he was given just a few more potions just in case he would need them. He explained to the boy how gyms worked and the badges he would need before challenging the League which should be his ultimate goal. Once he explained the basics, he took a deep breath.

"Now Silver...I need to tell you something important. No matter where you go, no matter what you do on this journey. You must take care of your Pokemon. A human and a Pokemon's friendship is something to absolutely cherish, something so special that we have in this world. In fact the expansion of this town wouldn't have been possible without them. Always carry a foundation of trust with your companions, so that no matter what you go through together...you will always have them at your back." He finished off.

The young boy smiled at this and took the advice to heart. "I will, I promise" He nodded at the man to which he smiled back.

"Good lad, now go, you have an adventure awaiting you!" The Professor nodded back to the young man.

Silver nodded and eagerly made his way out of the lab, waving the Professor goodbye in the process. He felt refreshed, reassured, he was ready to go on this journey.

Little did he know, there was someone else who had been waiting for him, waiting a very long time for this human to finally be ready to set forth. A curious blue creature peaked behind a building, watching him run out of the lab at full speed.

With a soft smile she suddenly vanished. Teleporting away, awaiting for when they would finally meet again after so many years...


	3. Long Awaited Reunion

**New chapter for you guys! Not much else to say so enjoy! ^^**

The entrance to the forest, the only thing that the expansion of the town never touched. Whoever wanted to expand the city made it clear that the forest was not to be touched under any circumstance. Most likely to preserve the ecosystem of the Pokemon that lived there if Silver had to guess.

Funnily enough the way into the forest was where his old school used to be, having been torn down for some time. Half of the building was still there. Seemed that not all of it was completely torn down when the construction began.

He took a deep breath, calming his nerves for a moment. He wondered if he was really ready for this, ready to be all on his own for the very first time. He figured it would be best to take the step forward anyway, and learn from whatever may happen.

"Into the abyss…" Silver muttered to himself, taking a step forward before he heard a voice call out to him.

"Silver!" He turned around to see his mother sprinting towards him, panting heavily.

"Mom?" He muttered worriedly, turning around to face her. She stopped just a few steps away from him, her hands on her knees for a moment.

"You forgot...your tent…" She panted out, trying to regain her breath before speaking more. She straightened herself up and handed the boy his rolled up tent he had forgotten on the table.

He smiled at her, giving a small nod. "Thanks mom...not sure I would've liked sleeping outside with nothing over me…" He chuckled while taking the tent. Luckily It was portable sized so it would fit in his backpack without taking much space.

"Oh sweetie, do you really have to go? I know you're all ready and everything but…" She trailed off.

Silver nodded again. "I have to mom, I can't waste anymore of my life in this town anymore. I need to go explore, see the world! Try new things! Being here...it's suffocating…" The young trainer responded with a small sigh.

He felt sad that meant leaving his only family behind but at the same time, he knew needed to do this. Despite saying this however, Silver seemed slightly unsure if this was the right move.

"Alright, alright honey, I can't force you to stay...just please come back home once in a while if you can, okay?" The woman smiled kindly at him. He felt lucky he had such an understanding and sweet mother.

"I promise I will, thanks mom, for everything you've done for me" He said happily. The two embraced each-other for a few moments, a special moment between mother and son. Once it was over they parted and waved their last goodbyes to one another.

This motivated him, finally forcing Silver to take his first steps into the forest, the long awaited journey had begun.

* * *

The further and further he came in, the more he felt like he was being watched. He decided to keep a careful eye around the area.

He saw all kinds of Pokemon while he walked, some bug types, grass types, and even a ghost type at one point. Before he could get any closer to them they all fled in a hurry. He supposed their survival instinct was to flee from any human that got too close which was...odd to say the least.

Normally Pokemon like these are so docile yet these ones seems easily spooked, there had to be some other reason for it other than just a survival instinct. It unnerved him even further.

About an hour into his walk he took out the only Pokeball he had on his belt, resizing to its full shape. "Alright Treecko, come on out…" He tossed the Pokeball to free the Treecko, and once he did the grass Pokemon looked confused.

"Hey, sorry about that Treecko. I was just wondering if you wanted to travel on foot with me instead of being trapped in there all day" Silver said while picking up the Pokeball, making a mental note that he didn't need to toss them on the ground.

The Treecko looked around and hesitantly nodded. "_Cko..._ " He said, sighing a tiny bit to himself.

Silver seemed to be slightly relieved and happy that he agreed to walk with him, both that it made him safer and that it would be a good opportunity to bond with one another. "Thanks Treeck-" He cut himself off. "I mean...hmm, I should give you a name huh?" Silver thought for a few moments, the Treecko curiously looking at him.

"I got it! How about Emerald?" Silver suggested. The Treecko shook his head, sneering slightly at the suggestion. "No? Alright umm...what about...Storm?" The Treecko seemed to like that name better than Emerald, probably because it was a guy. The Pokemon nodded. "Storm it is. I'm Silver by the by, I don't think I ever told you my name" He chuckled, somewhat embarrassed by that fact.

"_Treecko_" Storm nodded, seeming a little amused himself. Silver thought it would be a little harder to get along with the Pokemon but it was a bit easier than he thought.

"Alright then Storm, let's get going! I'm not sure where I'm going but the Pokedex points this way…" Silver enthusiastically said before leading the way down the path, to which Storm followed without another word.

A good hour or so had passed on their walk, both of them relatively silent the whole way. Silver wished he was better at conversation but unfortunately, he didn't have much experience with these sort of social situations.

* * *

Again, Silver had that feeling he was being watched. Despite his Pokemon being here with him, it still made him slightly nervous to be out here. "Storm...you feel that as well?" Silver asked. The Treecko nodded.

"Alright, then we better stick close together, not sure what it is but I don't want to find out." Silver said. Again the Treecko nodded in agreement, keeping a sharp eye out.

They walked for another half an hour or so, taking in the environment around them. The lush green trees, the soft breeze blowing by them, the atmosphere almost calm and peaceful except for that being watched feeling.

Before Silver could even take a moment to enjoy it, suddenly Storm turned and tackled him to the ground, right out of the way of a Mightyena who had attempted to pounce on him. The dark pokemon growled and snarled as Silver was trying to figure out what was going on for the moment.

Once Silvers eyes glanced on the Mightyena, he then realized what had just happened.

"T-thanks Storm, you really saved me there...guess we know what's been stalking us huh?" Silver said while getting up from the ground, getting on his knees and roughly standing back up with a grunt.

Storm stood in front of his master, surprisingly ready to defend as the Mightyena glared at the both of them.

"Alright then pup, let's go for a walk. Storm, quick attack!" Silver yelled, which the Treecko shook his head instead. Disobeying Silver, he went for pound instead. The Mightyena dodged this easily and scratched the Treecko, making him stumble back.

"Storm, come on! Not the time for this!" Silver tried desperately to reason before the Treecko went in again, using pound one more time at the Mightyena. The Mightyena this time did get hit and whimpered at the damage but it didn't seem too effective.

At this point, Silver was beginning to get worried. His Treecko was panting a small bit since this was a higher level Pokemon. Though what happened next was something he would never predict.

A ball of purpleish energy seemed to of come out of nowhere, directly hitting the Mightyena and sending it flying back.

The Mightyena had fainted from the damage, purple smoke rose from its body. One hit from that was more than enough for it. Silver wondered if it was dead though after observing for a moment...looks like it was still breathing.

"Storm you didn't…?" Silver trailed off when the Treecko shook his head, seeming just as confused as he was. Silver looked around for a moment before his crimson eyes landed on something…

The sun was reflecting on something blue. A pair of amber eyes were looking back at him.

A Shiny Kirlia came out of the bushes, smiling softly at the white haired boy. Suddenly he could hear a voice in his head.

{_Funny how you need my help as soon as we meet again, but given the circumstance I'll forgive it. It's good to finally see you once again…_} The voice was quite soft and feminine, something he found rather soothing to listen to though he still seemed oblivious as to who was talking to him.

"Did you…" Silver trailed off again when he saw his Treecko stand between him and the Kirlia.

"_Cko!_" Storm threatened the Kirlia, telling her not to approach any closer.

"_..Lia_" She spoke to the grass type in a gentle tone. Suddenly Storm fell to the ground completely passed out. Silver seemed to panic a small bit until he heard his Treecko simply snoring.

He breathed out in relief. "Guess he's out for the count…" Silver said more to himself than the Kirlia. "Now then, that was you talking?" He asked, feeling strangely calm about this, like he wasn't in any sort of danger at all.

The Kirlia nodded. {_Mhm, I'm able to speak to you telepathically. I think you'll find it easier to understand rather than me saying Kirlia over and over again…_} She giggled.

"Well, someone's got some jokes, I like it" Silver laughed a small bit before taking a few steps towards her, crouching on his knees. "You said 'once again'. We've met before?" He tilted his head.

The Kirlia frowned a small bit. {_You don't remember? It was back when you were just a small child, much like me. Those other humans called you Snowball or something like that_} She hoped that would jog his memory, and judging by his reaction it seemed to do the trick. When she saw how his face lit up, it made her gain her soft smile back

"W-wait, you're the Ralts!?" He almost yelled before forcing himself to keep a little more quiet. "I...didn't think you'd be a Kirlia…" He scratched the side of his head, looking her up and down for a moment.

She seemed to blush a small bit. {_Well yeah, humans aren't the only ones who change as they get older you know. But I do remember you most definitely. That hair of yours, those eyes as well...kinda hard not to recognize who it was I saved back then_} The Kirlia smirked at the boy.

He gave a light chuckle, "I suppose...you have a point. And yea, I remember the day as well. I was almost pummeled before you saved me. I owe you my thanks" He softly smiled at the Kirlia.

{_Don't mention it, after all, I know what it's liked for being picked on just for being...different_} She seemed to frown once again before shaking her head. {_But nevermind that for now, it's nice to finally meet you Silver_} She approached him slightly closer now, only a few inches away from the boy.

"How do you know my name?" Silver asked curiously, his eyes narrowing just a tad.

{_O-oh well...I may have been...following you for a bit and I heard you tell your name to your friend over there…_} The Kirlia seemed slightly embarrassed by that fact. She then looked to the sleeping Treecko, prompting Silver to look as well.

"Crap, nearly forgot about him…" Silver said before returning his slumbering Pokemon back to its Pokeball. "At least that explains why I felt like someone was watching me." He said with a small sigh of relief.

The Kirlia giggled {_You're very carefree for a human aren't you? You seem so calm about all of this even when that Mightyena almost had you for breakfast_}

"Easy come, easy go I say. Can't live your whole life in complete fear, tends to ruin it in my experience…" Silver chuckled

{_Agreed my white haired friend_} She smiled just a bit more. {_But anywho, I suppose since you're finally a trainer now...you and I can…_} She felt another hinge of heat coming to her cheeks.

"You..want to be my Pokemon?" The boy asked, a bit surprised. "You don't have to if you want, I'm not going to force you to do something like that"

The psychic type blinked a few times at that. {_You're...you're not? But…why not? Most trainers would say yes immediately given my...color_}

"Doesn't matter how rare a shiny is to me. If a Pokemon doesn't want to come with me, I won't force it. It's as simple as that." As he said this, she looked at him even more surprised.

He knew she was going to ask why so he further explained. "I want to become the type of trainer who's strong because his bond with his team is strong, not because I caught a few rare ones or something like that. If you find no enjoyment in being with me at all then what's the point? So it's up to you" He said with a small smile.

That smile of his...it seemed to move her in a way. It was so genuine, pure, and sweet. She wondered how could one human be this kind? She knew she liked him from the beginning but this was totally unexpected. The Kirlia suddenly smiled wide. {_Silver...allow me to go with you, at this point I don't think anything else in the world would make me happier…_} The Kirlia said to him happily, holding out her hand for him to take.

Silver gently took a hold of her hand, being careful since she looked so delicate. "You'll need a name then. I don't think you'd want to hear me call Kirlia everytime I were to speak with you" He playfully said.

{_You're the trainer, you're the namer. What's my new name master?_} She playfully said back.

"Hmm well...with that blue color I'd say…" He took a moment to really think on it. "Aqua?" He asked, curious if she would like it.

She smiled even more, giggling. {_Aqua...I love it! Much better than Kirlia_}. And just like that, she felt even more keen on coming with him now. The name serving to erase any doubts she may of had about the human in the first place. In truth that's why she avoided him for so many years, whenever he would come back to the playground.

Though she had other reasons as well why she kept her distance, reasons that she didn't want to exactly reveal. Seeing him now, made her regret not coming to him much sooner.

"Aqua it is…" He chuckled, ruffling her hair up a little which caught her surprise. He stood fully up and looked at the fainted Mightyena for a moment. "We can worry about the whole Pokeball thing later, for now let's just get far away from old yeller over there…" He advised, beginning to go in the direction he was intending to go towards before.

{_Old...yeller? What is that?_} Aqua asked, following after him.

"I'll...tell you another time" He said nervously, wanting to preserve her innocence since it was a sad story.

And so, the two of them began walking from then on. About an hour passed and the two had basically nothing to really talk about. There was some small talk here and there but even Silver could feel how awkward this was. Gotta be something to talk about he thought…

"So...uh...what made you save me from those kids way back when?" He asked curiously, which made her somewhat freeze up for a moment.

{_I have my reasons, like I said I know what it's like to be picked on simply for being...different..._} She sighed a bit sadly.

"Oh right, sorry I didn't mean to bring that up again.." He rubbed the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. He scolded himself in his head.

Aqua shook her head. {_It's fine, let's just leave complicated stuff out of the picture for now, deal?_} She smiled at the young trainer.

He nodded, smiling back. "Deal, but then what do we talk about?" He asked her, having been desperately trying to find something to speak about.

{_Man you really are hopeless, it's almost like you've never been alone with a girl before_} She teased lightly, causing him to become slightly red. The Kirlia giggled when he averted his gaze in a flustered manner. {_Relax, just messing with ya, I suppose I could ask about where we're going. I don't know much about these journeys or whatever you call them_}

It hadn't occurred to Silver until now that the word 'journey' was beginning to get slightly old to him. Doesn't even sound like a word at this point to him but he was probably overthinking it. "Well...basic goal for me is to get all the gym badges and challenge the Pokemon League" He put it simply.

{_That's it? That sounds easy…_} She carelessly replied, putting both hands behind her head.

And she called him carefree. "Well, not as easy as it sounds. See, the gym leaders all have really strong Pokemon, and the League has even stronger Pokemon. We'll need to gain alot of strength before we can even think about challenging the Elite Four"

{_Wait, what's the Elite Four? I thought we were challenging the League after the gym leaders?_} She confusingly asked.

"No no, the Elite Four is part of the League, they're the top four trainers before you get to the final boss which is the Pokemon Champion himself. The current champion is named Brendan I think…" Silver said that last part more to himself.

{_Oh I think I get it! Though you have to challenge the champion after battling all those guys? They won't let you get a break or anything?_}

He nodded "Yea, it's kinda dumb that the champion is at full strength while you're not. Though I think it takes true strength to get through all that without a break, which makes a good champion"

{_I suppose you have a point there, luckily I know heal pulse so you have that to use should you need it_} There was a hint of smugness in the Kirlia's tone.

Silver smirked a small bit "Then looks like you'll be the captain of the team if we reach that point, I wish you good luck soldier!" He playfully saluted the Kirlia.

She saluted back, playing along. {_Sir yes sir! You can count on me!_} The two of them shared a laugh together after that, continuing down the forest with new motivation driving them.

**Phew, I put some effort into this one, I'm trying to make the chapters longer for you guys so it won't feel so cut short but anywho... what do you think of Aqua so far? Let me know in your reviews! Until next time!**


	4. Revelation

**Hey guys! Me again. I would like to apologize for my delay, work and life has had me busy for the past few days and it made me go over my deadline but enough excuses. I have a plan for these next few chapters but it may take some time since I will be making them much longer for your enjoyment so...I would ask to please be a little patient with me while I do so. With all that said, enjoy! ^^**

{_Silver, are we there yet?_} A certain Kirlia whined at the white haired trainer.

"Oh great, already starting off the new chapter with a complaint...awesome…" Silver jokingly said with a chuckle, just now realizing that rhymed

{_What?_}

"Nothing, just talking to myself. No but we're getting close…." He looked up at the sky for a moment, noticing it was getting dark. "Though it might be a good idea to get some rest, since you seem a bit tired anyway"

{_Hey, stalking a human and then following him throughout the day can be exhausting, you try it one of these days_} Aqua huffed, pretending to pout.

"I'll pass on that, maybe some other time I'll try it out." He felt a small smirk cross his lips. He looked over to her for a moment, ruffling up her hair just to tease her a small bit.

Even if she was trying to act, it did make her feel better. She couldn't help her own smile when he showed his way of affection.

The two of them stopped for a moment, looking around for a clearing they could camp at.

{_I think we should go deeper in the woods, might be better that way so no one can steal our stuff as we sleep_} She suggested.

"Maybe, but wouldn't it be safer to sleep by the road? The Pokemon know to avoid it if they can help it so we have less chance of being attacked" Silver thought out loud.

{_Pokemon aren't very aggressive creatures….or not all of them, they'll only attack you if they're hungry or if you're bothering them. Besides, I'd rather take my chances with other Pokemon than other humans_} She then blinked a few times, realizing what she relayed to him in his own head. {_I-I mean…_} She was cut off when he began to speak.

"No I get it, humans really can be horrid. Trust me I know…" He sighed a bit.

{_...Not all humans. I mean, if you were one of those types, I wouldn't have gone with you in the first place, much less saved you…_} She hoped that would at least cheer him up.

He smiled somewhat and gave a chuckle "You have an odd way of making me feel better. I suppose it does in some way though so...thanks Aqua" He nodded.

{_No problem master! Actually hmm, not sure how I feel about calling you master_} She hummed for a moment in thought.

"Then don't call me it. I don't mind what you call me if I'm honest. That said, it does make me feel a bit weird…" He pressed on to find a clearing deeper into the woods, prompting her to follow.

{_You're not the only one_} She giggled. {_Alright then, I'll just call you by your name if that is your wish. Silver...it's a nice name_} The Kirlia smiled gently, for some reason even saying his name made her heart flutter a tad.

"You really think so? I was always bullied for having the name, especially my last name…"

{_What's your last name? I didn't know humans had those_} She wondered, looking up at the human.

"It's uh…" Silver hesitated a moment before telling her, debating in his head whether she'll make fun of him or not.

The Kirlia, hearing his thoughts, gave a gentle smile to him. And so, she took his hand as a form of comfort. {_If you don't want to tell me, it's okay. I promise I won't make fun of you for it_} She reassured him. It would be the last thing she'd want to do.

He looked over to her and smiled back, then took a deep breath. "Alright, as long as you keep your word. It's...S-Snow…" He quietly said.

{_Snow huh? That's….a pretty name. Silver Snow, haha, I'm almost jealous_} She giggled. She did think the name was a little on the nose given his hair color, which was probably why so many made fun of him for it.

"You really like it?" He blinked a few times, surprised that she did. It was almost sad to her how shocked he was that someone liked it.

{_Of course I do, you dork. Your name is very unique, just like you as a whole_} Aqua smiled more at him.

"T-thanks Aqua, it means alot to me" Silver said sincerely. He looked away from her for a few moments to hide the tint of red coming on his cheeks.

{_No problem maste- I mean Silver_} She corrected herself.

The two found a clearing after another moment of walking, one that was pretty isolated from the main road. "This should do it" He said before putting down his backpack.

{_I don't sense any other Pokemon nearby so looks like we're alone. By the way, you may wanna let your friend out_} Aqua reminded.

"Yea I know, let me set up the tent first before I do. I imagine he's going to be a little upset with me for letting that happen" Silver sighed. This Treecko seemed like the stubborn type.

* * *

For the next few minutes, Silver set up the portable tent he carried in his bad, easily enough room for 3 or more. Meanwhile the Kirlia curiously watched over him as he did so, making mental notes here and there.

"Alright...should be good I think…" Silver smiled to himself. "Only one last thing to take care of...you still plan on coming with me, correct?" He asked, looking over to Aqua.

{_That I do, I assume you want me in one of those Pokeballs, correct?_} Aqua asked, not seeming too enthusiastic about it.

"Hey come on now, if you get injured how am I supposed to take care of you? I promise I wouldn't keep you in there when you don't want to be." The human tried to convince.

{_I know you won't force me but I'm gonna have to say no. Sorry Silver, but being in one of those things would go against who I am._} She held an apologetic look on her face. The Kirlia could only hope he wouldn't force that sort of thing on her, she hated those Pokeballs, always thought of them as nothing but a prison for Pokemon.

Silver gave a small sigh "Alright fine, I suppose I always can use potions in case if something happens. Is there any reason you don't want to be in one though? Out of curiosity of course."

To his question, Aqua turned her head for a moment to think. {_There is a reason, yes. I'd rather not say right now though, another time perhaps. Again, I'm sorry Sil_} She sighed to herself. She didn't take any pleasure in rejecting his wishes of course, she knew he just wanted the best for her after all. But no matter what, she wasn't going to go in one of those things for even a second.

Silver blinked a few times at the new nickname 'Sil'. It was definitely one of the more interesting ways someone has said his name, one he's never heard before but he didn't dwell on it for too long.

"Alright, I understand and accept your reasons. Hey…" He knelt down in front of her, causing her to flinch somewhat. "You know I'm not forcing anything on you, but just please consider it one day, alright? Because one day, you could sustain injuries that I can't heal...and the Pokemon centers will not heal a wild Pokemon."

Aqua almost took offense to that and snapped her head back to him, but she stopped herself from being angry when he saw how concerned he looked.

"The last thing I want is for you to get to that state, so I'll take care of you as much as I can if you're going to be free 24/7. But just please...think about it, that's all I ask" He gently smiled at her, brushing some of her hair out of her face.

{_Alright...I'll think about it. Thank you...Silver_} She smiled at him. How lucky did she feel right now? It was a surprise at how understanding he was but she knew that already. What shocked her is that he wasn't acting on his own wishes like most humans do.

Forcing other Pokemon to come with them is a common mistake most trainers make, so she was glad he wasn't the type to do that.

He nodded at her, giving a small smile before standing up. "Alright, let's try to explain the situation to a certain Treecko, you ready for this?" He asked.

{_As ready as I'll ever be, I get the feeling he'll try to attack me again so I'll prepare my Hypnosis just in case_} She said nonchalantly.

"My thoughts exactly, but try to go easy on him. He may be stubborn but he's still part of my team" With that said, Silver finally released Storm from the Pokeball.

Once the red light faded, all that was left standing there was a very upset looking Treecko. Storms gaze landed on one specific Pokemon though. He was about to take another swing at the Kirlia before Silver stepped in front of her. "Hey, calm down, everything's okay...she was the one who saved us from the Mightyena, remember?" Silver tried with the Pokemon.

"_Treecko! Tree!_" Seems Storm was protesting.

{_He's saying he's angry that you let me hypnotize him_} Aqua translated.

"Look, that wasn't my fault, what could I have done in that situation? You were the one who wouldn't listen to me in the first place"

"_Cko! Treecko Treecko!_" Storm was getting even more angry now with his trainer.

{_Now he's saying that it's your fault for being a worthless trainer_}

"_Cko!_" Storm added.

{_And you look weird_} Aqua translated the last bit, which made Silver look back at her. {_Hey, don't look at me, that's what he said_} She shrugged.

Silver took a deep breath. "Alright fine, let's just start over. Storm...you can't just do what you want on the battlefield like that. Cooperation wins battles, not going rambo like you did" He said softly, getting on his knees in front of the Grass Type pokemon.

Storm had no response, only kept his head turned away from his so called master.

"Tell you what, maybe just give it a try during our next battle. I guarantee the results will be different. What do you say?" Silver smiled a little.

Storm looked to the human, taking a moment to consider it. Then he took a look at the Kirlia behind him who gave a nod to him.

After a few more moments of consideration, Storm finally released his breath and nodded. "_Treecko...cko_"

{_He says he'll give it a shot_} Aqua told him.

"_Tree…_" Storm added on.

{_And that he's sorry for not listening to you_}

"_Treecko treecko_" He added on even more, looking up at Silver.

{_But he's sticking by what he said earlier, you look weird_} Aqua giggled a little bit. {_He thinks you might have a disease_}

Silver gave a short forced laugh. "Trust me, it's not the first time I heard that in my life." He shook his head before standing up.

Aqua frowned a tad, knowing how sensitive Silver truly was to being made fun of, even if he hid it very well.

After all, years upon years of being bullied and harrassed will do that to anyone, eventually they grow a thick shell but even that isn't enough. She could see Silver's forced smile fade a small bit.

{_Not to worry Sil, while he may think you look weird...I happen to think you look quite endearing. Especially with those gorgeous crimson eyes of yours_} She was genuine about it as well, she really did like them.

He turned around and regained his smile again. He patted her on the head. "Thanks Aqua, what would I do without you?" He joked.

{_Oh come now, you've barely known me for a day and you're this attached? Perhaps I should be the master instead_} Aqua giggled, causing Silver to laugh.

"Coming from the one who was stalking us earlier, that's a little strange to hear" He shot back at her, making the little Kirlia laugh as well now.

Meanwhile, Storm looked back and forth between them, having a curious look on his face. He knew she was probably talking to him via telepathy. For some reason he felt a little left out, and even a little sad to not be included in this conversation.

Then again, after what he said, does he have any reason to be upset? Storm scolded himself internally for treating his master like that. Silver didn't deserve that from him, and seeing the human look so happy with her was slowly changing his mind.

Aqua's laughter died down after a moment, and she turned to look at Storm. She could feel those emotions swell within him and it made her feel a little bad, so she decided to go towards him.

"_Lia, Kirlia Kir_" She spoke to the Treecko, offering her hand to him.

"_Treecko, cko…_" He gently grasped her hand and seemed to even smile at the Kirlia.

Aqua turned to look at Silver for a moment. {_Why don't you go on ahead to get things set up, me and Storm will keep the camp safe for you while you hunt for our food_} She said to Silver.

"Hunt? Since when are you the one giving orders here? I brought food with me" He chuckled, shaking his head at Aqua with an amused expression.

{_Huh, surprising...I didn't know you'd come prepared for this, but we still need a fire going so…_} She trailed off

"Alright alright, I get it. I'll leave the two of you alone" Silver rolled his eyes. He then went off in a random direction to go look for some wood.

"_Treecko cko_" Storm commented with a small chuckle.

"_Lia, Kir_" Aqua shot back at him before she began to set up a stone circle for the fire. She's seen humans do this before so she knew the process.

* * *

Meanwhile….

Silver was wandering the forest in search for dead sticks, making sure to keep quiet in his footsteps just in case. He didn't exactly feel safe out here on his own after all.

The human wandered and wandered, collecting quite a good few sticks along the way when suddenly he heard footsteps and the sound of people talking.

"So you think this Kirlia is out here?" One voice asked.

"You saw our Mightyena, no way it's not her. Only she knew Shadowball since we taught it to her" Another voice replied.

Judging by the footsteps, it only sounded like 2 people. Silver hid behind a tree as he heard them walk towards a completely different direction to where their camp was. It made hime relieved to know they weren't going near.

"Yeah you're probably right, can't say I've heard of any wild Pokemon out here that knows that move. Unless if it was a trainer…"

"You know better, the only trainer that left Firerock was that white haired kid, and he's a total wimp. No way he could tame such a powerful Pokemon as a beginner" The other voice said a bit defensively.

This didn't make any sense, listening to their conversation like this. Were they really talking about the same Kirlia he had in his team? There's no way that could be possible.

That purple ball of energy earlier though...being launched at that Mightyena, it was too much of a coincidence.

Once he heard their footsteps begin to fade, he let out a deep breath and begun to make his way back to camp. He had some questions for a certain Aqua.

"Now that I think about it...it is weird she knew that move as a Kirlia…" He said to himself as he walked.

Little did he know, what a dark past she carried with her.

Upon reaching the camp, he could see both her and Storm talking with each-other, a surprisingly friendly conversation between the two. Silver smiled a little upon seeing this and took a step forward, alerting them both to his presence.

* * *

{_Welcome back Sil! We were just talking about how we met you and stuff_} Aqua greeted in a friendly manner.

Storm just gave a careless wave to the trainer as his greeting.

"I see, well it's nice to see you two get along even after what happened." Silver smiled at the two of them.

Storm just gave a slight huff and looked the other way.

{_Seems he thinks differently_} Aqua giggled. {_But I can sense you're troubled by something, everything alright? I see you got the sticks…_} She trailed off a small bit.

"Actually there was something bothering me...can I speak to you, alone Aqua?" Silver asked with a slight suspicion in his tone.

The Kirlia raised an eyebrow. {_Sure I guess…_} She turned to the Treecko and muttered something in Pokespeech, to which he nodded and went inside the tent to leave the two alone. {_Alright, fire away_} She said in a light tone.

Silver took a deep breath and walked over to his Kirlia, sitting down next to her. "During my walk...I overheard two men talking, they said something about a Kirlia they were looking for...one that knew Shadowball. Anything you know?" He asked her carefully.

Aqua seemed to freeze up a little, paling a bit at the discovery. {_N-no, nothing at all! Must be a coincidence haha, we should get the fire going and-_}

"Aqua...please, I need to know. Are those men after you? I can't protect you if I don't know" Silver pleaded, a softening look in his eye.

Aqua went silent for a moment. {_Why...why would you want to protect me at all? They could be after me for a number of reasons…_} She looked to the ground.

"Because I know better. You're not a dangerous Pokemon, if you wanted to harm me you would've done so the moment you saw me….besides I have a good intuition on this sort of thing" He responded in a serious tone.

She sighed a small bit. {_You and your sweet talk…_} She paused a moment, looking around. She didn't distrust Silver, even only knowing him for so long so...perhaps he would need to know if she would be travelling with him. {_Alright, I'll tell you everything...but don't expect it to be a happy story or anything…_}

**Next chapter will be a flashback of the past, just to give you guys a little glimpse of what is to come! Until next time!**


	5. Memories of The Past

**Heyo! I would like to start by apologizing for my disappearance, lately my job has been keeping me very very busy however I know that shouldn't be any excuse. However I did rearrange my schedule so now I'll have wayy more time to publish new chapters! ^^ Now that I've gotten rid of my writers block I should be fine getting this more progressed. Anyway! Enjoy the chapter!  
**

* * *

{_It all happened long ago, back when I was just a Ralts…_}

* * *

Deep within the confounds of an unknown laboratory, a certain shiny Ralts in question had been brought in by some men. Two men to be exact, with the Ralts struggling every now and then only to fail in the grip of one of them. One was much bigger and the other was slimmer, obviously the job of holding the Pokemon in place was left to the bigger man.

"Here you go boss, this one gave us quite a bit of trouble." Said the bigger man. They were within an office, a fancy looking office filled with high tech machinery and other objects of interest. Most notably the skulls of other Pokemon, legendary Pokemon.

An older well dressed man with jet black hair and dark eyes spun around in the office chair and looked at the captured Ralts, curiously observing her up and down. There was a bit of silence before he spoke. "...Excellent, a psychic type will surely help us with our hunts...however, are you sure this one would be an asset? It doesn't seem all that powerful." His voice was cold and calm, like a knife cutting through the air with simple words.

The two men seemed to have flinched ever so slightly as soon as he spoke, being a tad bit intimidated. The Ralts felt this immediately, and began to wonder just how hopeless she really was in this scenario.

"Y-yes sir, we've already sent out some Pokemon to test her skills..." The bigger one started.

"And?"

"And they...they were dead within minutes…" The skinnier man concluded.

This certainly gained the interest of the boss, and he looked to the Ralts once more with a curious expression. "Is that so?" He gave a dark grin.

The Ralts couldn't help but shudder in the presence of such an evil look on his face, she quickly began to feel herself subconsciously submit to whatever she was about to be put through.

"Yes sir, if it wasn't for the collar you gave us, we would've been killed as well." The big guy said.

The collar that was put on her was designed to sap away her psychic powers, so that she may not harm her kidnappers even if she wanted to. Anytime she would try to use them, and electric shock would course through her body.

"I care not for your little life, what matters is that you've finally brought me something worth my time and attention…" He said coldly. "Prepare her for examination, I want to get a good idea of what we're dealing with here."

"Yes sir..."

* * *

Before she could continue her story, she looked out onto the forest, feeling something on their trail. {_They're coming_} She telepathically said to Silver.

"Quick, get inside the tent, I'll do the talking if they approach." He ordered her, despite wanting to hear the rest of the story.

She gave a nod and quickly rushed over to inside the tent, she poked her head out slightly to look at him, the shadow of the tent concealing her for the most part.

He looked back at her and gave a small reassuring smile as the people from earlier emerged from the bushes, looking surprised to find a campsite.

"Oh hello. He greeted casually "May I help you two? You seem a bit lost"

"No thanks kid we're on a tight schedule" One of the men said. Now that he got a better look at them, he studied their uniforms a bit more in detail.

They were wearing strange ballistic-like clothing, with a red triangle symbol in the middle of their chest. He could also see these men were armed, not only with some pokeballs but with weapons as well.

The two pistols among other gadgets did not get by him, and especially Aqua who had poked her head back in the tent.

"Actually maybe you could help us out, see, we uh…'lost' one of our Pokemon out here, so maybe you could help us find her?" The other man said.

"Hmm, gonna have to be specific, the only ones I saw today were a Mightyena and a Kirlia" Silver casually spoke, putting a finger on his chin.

This certainly got the men's attention, and Aqua's as well. She couldn't believe it, the human that she protected all those years ago and today was about to sell her out? Oddly she felt a bit heartbroken, and obviously very angry.

"Really now? Kid, do you know where this Kirlia is?" One of the men grinned.

Aqua cursed herself for trusting a mere human, and so inside the tent she began to ready a shadow ball in her hand, powerful enough to wipe out all three of them.

The Treecko couldn't help but watch in horror, but before he could do anything they heard Silver's voice speak up again after a bit of thinking.

"Now that you mention it, I believe I know where she is…"

[_Silver...I...I trusted you…_] Aqua thought sadly to herself.

"I believe she went towards Firestone village, just that way" Silver pointed to the opposite direction of where the tent was.

There was a bit of silence before the two men responded, and even more so from within the tent.

"Thanks kid, you're a lifesaver, come on Greg." The man said with a huge grin.

"Coming sir.."

Silver watched the two men leave the clearing and sighed in satisfaction, not believing they took the lie so easily. "Idiots.." He laughed lowly to himself.

Inside the tent, Aqua wasn't sure what just happened, she honestly thought she was about to fight her way out like usual against these thugs. She could feel her heart racing and her mind spinning, the shadow ball in her hand dissipating much to Storms relief.

"_Treecko_?" He asked, seeming relieved himself.

"_Kir_" She responded, giving him a nod and assuring him she was okay. However she was about to give the boy a piece of her mind for startling her like that.

{_Silver!_} She rushed outside with a mix of an angry expression and a semi happy one. {_What the hell was all that about? You nearly gave me a heart attack you idiot!_} She complained to the human.

Silver on the other hand gave a small laugh "Well sorry Aqua haha, but I had to tell them something to throw them off our trail. They would've found it suspicious had I not mentioned seeing any sort of Pokemon today, don't you think? Besides it all worked out so why are you mad?" He asked with a grin.

{_Because I- You-_} She wasn't sure how to continue her complaint, honestly she felt herself about to break down into tears.

The moment he saw this he came to her aid, getting close to her and putting a gentle hand on her head. "Hey hey...no need to cry Aqua, don't worry. I got your back, just as you had mine all those years ago." He warmly smiled. "Listen, next time, I'll warn you before doing something like that, okay?" His tone was soft and gentle, like a motherly comfort even though he was male.

{_You...you better, for a moment I thought you would-_}

"Shh, hey. No need on thinking about it now. It turned out fine so nothing more needs to be said." He cut her off before she could finish that thought.

Aqua sniffled a bit, giving a nod and a small smile {_O-okay, okay._} She took a deep breath to calm her nerves as soon as Silver removed his hand from the top of her head. {_You know, for a human you sure are sly. I didn't think they would've fallen for that so easily_} She commented.

"Anyone will believe anything if you seem sure of yourself. The trick to lying is to sort of believe the lie yourself." He shrugged.

{_Didn't know you were an expert at deceiving others...perhaps I should watch my back a bit more_} She teased.

"Hey hold on, I don't l-lie all the time I-" He was cut off when he saw Aqua laughing, now getting she was just messing with him.

{_Jeez Sil calm down, I know you aren't like that_} She said still laughing a bit. {_Besides, I can tell if you're lying thanks to my psychic abilities_}

"That's right, you can feel emotions, I remember reading something about that though I didn't dive too much into the subject.." Silver trailed off a small bit in thought as Storm came out of the tent and called out.

"_Cko?_" The grass Pokemon asked to the trainer.

{_He's asking if we're in the clear_} Aqua translated.

"Don't worry buddy, we're good, however we should probably set up camp elsewhere just in case they come back" Silver thought out loud, looking at the direction the men left at.

Feeling her masters slight fear, she gave a nod in agreement. {_Probably a good idea, it's better to be safe than sorry_}

Silver nodded back "My thoughts exactly.." He said while standing back up. "It'll take me a moment to pack up the tent, after that we can go." He said whilst walking towards the tent.

"_Treecko, Tree_" Storm said while walking a bit towards the white haired trainer.

{_He says he'd rather be in the pokeball until we find a new spot_}

Silver stopped and looked back at the Treecko. "You sure? I don't want you to feel like you're imprisoned with me or anything."

"_Cko_" He nodded, indicating that he did not mind one bit.

"Alright, if you're sure…" Silver said hesitantly, getting out his pokeball and tapping the button lightly. Once the light of his Treecko faded, Silver gave a small sigh. "Is it just me or did he sound...a bit sad?" He asked, looking over to Aqua.

{_He feels a bit left out so to say, and so my guess is he wanted to go into his pokeball so that you and I can talk more_} She hypothesized. {_He knows you're not doing it on purpose, don't worry, it's probably going to take him a bit to get used to me being around_} She was hoping that would reassure her trainer, as she did not want him worrying over something like that.

"Still, I don't want to make him feel left out or anything, if we're going to be travelling together I should make more of an effort." He almost scolded himself before turning around and walking to the tent, beginning to take it down.

Aqua gave a faint smile, seeing he was determined on that factor. However despite how heartfelt his words were, in her mind he still had to prove he meant it rather than just saying it. After all, words can only say so much.

The tent was a much easier to take down than to put up, and so it didn't take much time at all. Silver looked up at the sky for a moment, seeing it was still dark. He wondered where they could quickly move to so they could rest for the night.

By the look on his face, Aqua could easily guess what he was thinking about and decided to ease his mind a bit. {_There's a cave not far from here we can rest in, I've used it a couple times when it was raining so we should be safe there for a night_} She said while getting right next to her trainer, who only looked at her with a smile.

"Alright, that works for me" He said putting the tent in his backpack. "By the way, should we continue that story you were telling me?" He tilted his head.

{_Sorry Sil, but maybe another time when I'm in the mood. All you really need to know is...I was with them for a long time_} She said sadly, her eyes seeming to lose a tiny bit of light.

Silver gave a nod and a sympathetic look. "Alright, I won't press you on it...I can only imagine what you've endured." He was about to stand up before getting an idea. He scooped her up in his arms quickly before she could react.

{_S-Sil!_} She protested but oddly didn't resist her being picked up. She felt a tinge of redness coming across her cheeks, being picked up like she was a infant or something.

"Come on, I can tell you're tired, let me do this much for you" He smiled softly at her as he began to walk.

{_F-Fine, only for a little bit though..._} She said a bit quietly, avoiding any sort of eye contact. Silver only gave a small laugh as they made their way to the cave.

* * *

**You made it to the end! I know this one was a tad bit short and I'm trying to gaige how much content I should be putting in these chapters so bear with me. I thought it best not to reveal Aqua's story all in one go as that would kinda ruin the whole thing so this way it'll keep some mystery going about her. With that said, I wish you all a good day and until next time!**


	6. Innuendo

**Hello hello! Got a much longer chapter done a bit early so I thought I would surprise you all ^^. There's not much to say other than I hope you enjoy the chapter. Let me know your thoughts in your reviews! I tried some new things in this one.  
**

* * *

It was a tough first night for the young trainer. Having been used to the comfort of a bed, sleeping against a wall of stone was quite a drastic change for him.

He slowly came awake, his eyes slowly fluttered open. Taking a quick glance around, he noticed his Kirlia and Treecko still sound in deep slumber, with Aqua laying her head on his thigh as a sorta pillow. Storm on the other hand was sleeping against the wall just like Silver was.

They both seemed so peaceful in their sleep, he almost didn't want to wake them. Unluckily for him, a low growling sound coming from his stomach was loud enough to nearly echo throughout the cave.

The Kirlia was the first to hear of this and awoke from her deep sleep. slowly opening her eyes she let out a cute yawn, rubbing her head.

{_Morning Sil_} A sleepy feminine voice said into his mind.

"Morning. Sorry did I wake you?" He asked with a slight hint of guilt in his voice.

{_Actually I thought I heard a bear or-_}

She was cut off by the growling of Silver's stomach, louder than the last one, this time waking up Storm. The grass type Pokemon let out a groan himself and slowly raised his head up to look around.

{_Wow...good job Sil, you woke both of us up_} She teased with a smirk.

"_Treecko, tree…_" Storm lowly said, seeming quite irritated by the rude awakening.

{_He's not that happy either_} She translated, giving the trainer a provoking/playful grin.

"Well sorry I have needs like every other living being, don't tell me you two aren't hungry yourself?" Silver said, seeming a bit irritated himself with Aqua's teasing and Storms whining.

{_Well yeah but at least we didn't wake you up._} Aqua pressed further, poking his nose in a cute manner.

"Hmph" Silver crossed his arms and looked the other direction, much to Aqua's amusement.

"_Tree, Treecko_" Storm said whilst yawning as well.

{_That could be a good idea. He says that we should get breakfast before anything else._} Aqua nodded as she stood from her spot, stretching a small bit.

"Yeah, I suppose that could be good. I don't think I've eaten anything since yesterday." He said, crawling over to his backpack and beginning to dig around. "I packed some rations for myself though...ah damnit.." He sighed.

{_Something wrong?_} Aqua asked, a little worried.

"I don't have anything in here for either of you…" He said, feeling even more irritated than before. First he rudely awakens his Pokemon and now he's admitting he didn't even properly prepare to take care of them, he felt like the worst trainer at the moment.

Aqua felt his frustration and frowned a small bit. She got next to him and placed a hand on his back. {_Don't worry, I'll just get something for me and Storm, you don't have to worry about a thing._} She reassured with a warm smile.

"You sure? I don't want to trouble you with this, I should take more responsibility." He seemed even more down, feeling like she was just pitying him in some way.

{_If I wasn't sure I wouldn't suggest it, you were just a little too excited to start your journey. There's no shame in that_} She then went thoughtful for a moment. {_How about this...how about you come with me while I get food and I'll teach you what is good for Pokemon consumption and what isn't. That way, if you ever find yourself...without me...you can do it on your own_} She suggested, still with a warm smile in hopes to comfort him more.

He couldn't help but smile back, looking at those big beautiful amber eyes of hers. However there was something in that sentence he wasn't sure he liked. Being without her? Why would she even suggest such a thought? He thought it best not to press her on that and for now, going with what she suggested. After all, if he was to become a good trainer, he would have to learn how to take care of his companions more and who better to learn from than a Pokemon themself?

He nodded and placed a hand on her hair, ruffling it a little. "Thanks Aqua, I think I'll take you up on that." He nodded, already feeling better than what he was a few moments ago.

She smiled even wider and giggled a little {_You know, you could try being a bit more sappy with your words, you know, like you usually are._} She teased.

"Oh? Alright then how about this…" He cleared his throat. "Aqua, so far you have done so much for me without me giving you much in return, one day I promise to repay the favor to you. For now, you have my eternal thanks…" Silver said in an over the top dramatic voice.

Storm just shook his head and gave a slight huff, making his disapprovement clear.

Aqua on the other hand couldn't help but laugh. {_You sure have a way with words Sil, haha. Cheesy as hell though, maybe tone it down a dial or two._} She said with an amused grin.

"Oh come on, I thought it was good! Storm, back me up here!" He playfully complained while looking towards his Treecko.

Storm shook his head again and looked the other way.

{_Too bad for you, looks like he didn't like it either but don't worry...I'll make sure you hold onto that promise_} She teased with a wink. {_Now come on, let's go get some food_} Aqua said before walking to the entrance to the cave, with Storm trailing behind her.

Silver couldn't help but give a light chuckle himself watching them walk away for just a moment before following himself. [I wonder if she's serious] He thought to himself.

Little did he know, Aqua was very serious about it, and she knew that Silver would deliver on his promise one of these days. She had a few predictions but nothing she wanted to guess just yet. Honestly she just wanted to have fun with the human for the time she would be with him.

* * *

The next hour and a half was spent with them searching for food, with trivial talk here and there and her instructing the trainer on which berries are good for Pokemon and which ones aren't. Much to her surprise, she saw Silver taking notes as she was talking, seeing he was serious about this. She felt a sense of pride in watching him take such detailed notes and asking questions here and there.

Once they all filled up on berries and Storm went back to his Pokeball on request, they all resumed their journey to the next town.

{_Okay so, the idea is that we travel from town to town...on foot...to battle these so called Gym Leaders and then move onto the next town?_} Aqua asked, continuing a conversation she was having with Silver.

"That's pretty much the idea yeah, it's recommended to train with your Pokemon during the days you spend travelling with them. Sometimes it can take even months. The more time you spend getting there, the stronger you become. At least...that's the way I was gonna go about it." Silver explained.

{_And I hope you weren't just planning on throwing us at wild Pokemon, surely you know how vicious they can be._}

There was silence followed by that statement for a few moments, making Aqua look at him with a raised eyebrow.

{_...Right, Silver?_} She skeptically asked.

"I uh...y-yeah! I knew that um...but just a little reminder could be...good?" He nervously chuckled.

Aqua sighed, seeing how hopeless her trainer really was. {_Sure...no problem 'Master'_} She teased, provoking him a tad much to his annoyance.

{_Well, first things first, you gotta remember that most Pokemon are very sentient beings, not like a wild animal who will hunt you for food or for the fun of it. Most of the time they'll leave you alone if you leave them alone, however if you seek to fight them on your own...they won't hesitate to defend their freedom, sometimes with their very life._}

"Dark.." Silver commented.

{_Quite. Most Pokemon are pretty happy with their way of life, and so most of them don't really want to leave that and go with some human by force. Half the time, though, most humans don't really care what the Pokemon wants...more about what they want..._} She sadly sighed, a bit of weight carried with that statement. Before he could ask she moved on {_Anyway, it's always best to ask Pokemon directly if they'd like to come with you rather than forcing them, but they gotta choose to approach you first. If they won't, there's no point in bothering them as you will probably just provoke them into a fight._} She concluded her explanation, allowing the human a few moments to process.

"I see, I think I get the picture, but then...how am I supposed to train my Pokemon?" He asked, making Aqua look at him again with a raised eyebrow.

{_Didn't you say you studied Pokemon before you left home?_} She then sighed again, sensing he felt ashamed by her statement. {_Hey, no need to feel that way. It's fine, can't know everything before you leave, you know?_} The Kirlia tried to reassure him.

"No, you're right, I should've studied a little harder. But hey, that's not preventing me from learning now." He said, putting aside his feeling of shame and showing her he was actively listening.

She loved seeing him look so determined to learn more, it honestly made her feel that much more proud of him. {_Alright alright, I suppose your enthusiasm counts for something. Just...don't let it get to your head._} She winked. Though he missed it, there was a slight hint of seduction in the way she said that. Noticing he didn't have much reaction to her flirt, she decided it was best to move on. [_Jeez, he's quite dense_] She thought.

Clearing her throat she continued on. {_Anyway, most Pokemon know how to train by themselves if needed, though it is more effective if they have a partner so to say. For sparring purposes and all that. Luckily, you got two Pokemon with you, and one of them knows the best ways to get stronger_} She said a bit arrogantly.

"And the best way to express her ego…" Silver playfully whispered to himself, loud enough for her to hear.

{_Hey! Now that was just rude._} She played along, feigning to pout.

"Aw, and how would you like me to make it up to you? Maybe a massage?" He teasingly suggested.

{_...Actually that doesn't sound half bad_} She said, a bit surprised by his suggestion.

"Oh, really? I thought you'd reject the idea to be honest with you." He was surprised himself to see that she was going along with it.

{_Normally yes, I would, but all these years of living in the wilderness...it can stress a girl out, so yes, a massage sounds pretty good to me_} She looked at him with one eye, a small teasing smirk plastered across her face.

"I uh- I...guess I wouldn't mind helping you out then, after all it's the least I can do.." He shrugged, feeling his face become a little heated.

{_Great, I'll make sure you remember tonight then._} She smiled to herself in glee, glad that this was the outcome of their conversation.

* * *

A couple hours later and they could both see some buildings in view. Silver smiled slightly in relief, glad to see they went the right way. Petalburg City

{_So, I'm assuming that's where the first gym leader is?_} Aqua asked, looking up at the human.

"That's right, although…" He stopped in his tracks for a moment. "I'm a little unsure if I'm even ready to face the first one, I mean...Storm doesn't seem to have much experience." Silver put a hand on his chin.

{_Hm, I suppose you have a point...we did kinda just rush over here_. _How much do you know about this specific gym leader?_} She asked.

"Well, from what I know he's the father of the Champion himself, and that his Pokemon are very strong." He recalled, not making him any more confident to face the leader right away.

{_I see ...then I think the best thing to do would be to pass him._} Aqua suggested. {_And while we're here, we can stock up on a few things we might need for the road ahead. We'll be heading into a thicker forest from here on._}

"Yeah, probably a good idea. We can challenge him at a later date but for now, it's probably best focusing on getting stronger." He nodded, agreeing with his Kirlia. She nodded back at him, giving a small smile.

"Alright, let's head into the shop then, see if there's anything worth buying. I did save up some money before I headed out." He said whilst walking forward again with Aqua following.

{_Huh, you using your head? Where did the world go wrong?_} Aqua teased.

"Keep up that kinda talk and I'll…" He trailed off for a moment. "Ah nevermind" He looked the other way, much to Aqua's curiosity he was blushing madly.

{_What?_} She asked.

"N-nothing, just realizing my joke didn't...work so well." He then cleared his throat, trying to calm himself down. "Anyway, let's just...keep going" He quickly spoke, hoping she would drop it.

Her curiosity though was starting to get the better of her, so she peeked into his mind for just a moment to see what he was thinking.

[Ugh, real smooth Silver, 'Keep up that kinda talk and I'll show you what my head can do'. Real classy..] She heard him think to himself.

{_Oh wow…_} She accidentally said in his head, making Silver jump slightly.

"W-What? What's 'Oh wow'?" He asked, a bit too quickly.

{_Oh! N-Nothing important, I just...thought of something was all._} She nervously chuckled. She didn't want him to think she was spying on his thoughts constantly, which she wasn't, just this time she was really curious to know why he didn't end that sentence. [_Seems you're not that innocent after all Sil._] She thought to herself, with a small grin she hid from him.

After a moment of thought he decided to drop it and continue walking into town. Even though it was still bothering him slightly, he felt himself calm down the closer and closer they were getting towards it.

It wasn't long until they entered the city, and to his relief it had a map of where everything was located from the path entrance.

"Alright let's see here…" Silver looked at the board in thought. Years ago this place wasn't really much of a city, but it has since expanded during the time Silver was growing up. Now there were actual streets and roads, a few neighborhoods, some business buildings, and other things.

[Why does Hoenn feel much bigger than when I was a kid?] He thought to himself. "Alright, the store isn't too far away, there's even a Pokemon center nearby.." He said whilst Aqua hummed for a moment.

{_Maybe we can pay a visit to both, maybe even check out the gym after that?_} She suggested.

"Hmm, that could be nice but we shouldn't spend too long here, I wanna get on with the journey as soon as we can." Silver said before leading the way, his Kirlia walking beside him.

{_Why the rush? As far as I know, there's no time limit. Besides, I wanna see things too you know._} She looked over at him curiously.

"I know, I know, but I just can't wait until we reach the next town! I hear it's much bigger than this one" He smiled a tad bit. "That and...well" He trailed off a bit.

{_And what?_} She questioned.

"I...don't really like being around other people." He admitted, seeing some people already call their attention onto him.

{_Ohhh, I see, you're not a people person huh?_} She semi teased.

"Honestly not really, I know they keep looking at me because of my hair and eye color, and it's really tiresome to explain that I was born like this and that I cannot change it. Even compliments can get annoying..." He sighed.

{_Heh, looks like you and I can relate on that one. Either way we should be fine, these humans seem much more interested in...whatever they're doing_} She reassured.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Actually most of their gazes seem to be more aimed at you than me." He pointed out.

After quickly looking around, Aqua did indeed notice people were looking at her more than him. {_Mmm, well I'm used to it either way, so it doesn't bother me none._} She shrugged.

Again Silver had to wonder more about her past, to him it seemed like she had experience with wandering through towns and surviving in the wilderness. He decided just to leave it at that and head towards the store.

Upon arrival he noticed that it was more or less like a grocery store instead of a convenience store like how it used to be. A Lot of things certainly have changed it seemed but all the more to discover in Silver's mind. He was about to go in when he was stopped by Aqua grabbing his hand.

{_Hold on, where do you think you're going?_} She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"In...the store?" He said more as a question than anything else. He turned around to face her. "Unless if something is wrong…?"

{_Don't you think someone else might wanna join us? You know a certain grass type Pokemon?_} She faintly smiled.

"Heh, I just might. But yeah I suppose Storm might want something. Good thinking Aqua." Silver praised by petting her head.

{_C-Come on now, it was just a thought_} She giggled slightly, a little embarrassed to be treated this way in public.

"A good thought nonetheless." He chuckled while getting out the pokeball. "Come on out Storm!" He pressed the button, materializing the Treecko into the world.

{_You really don't need to announce who you're bringing out you know_} Aqua commented.

Ignoring her, Silver looked at Storm noticing his confused expression. "Sorry buddy but I thought maybe you would wanna come to shop with us, you know, get some of your own things for the road ahead." He said with a small friendly smile.

Storm seemed to go thoughtful for a moment before hesitantly nodding, trying to act like he didn't care.

"Awesome!" The trainer grinned.

The Kirlia had a quick thought, using her psychic abilities, her crests on top of her head glowed white for a brief moment. {_I have an idea, how about me and him go and look around for things while you, Sil, go and get what you need?_} Aqua suggested, Storm now able to hear her voice into his mind.

Storm looked around a bit confused. {_Oh right, sorry Storm but communicating like this will be a bit easier, now you both can hear me at the same time._} She explained.

"Wait, how does that work?" Silver asked.

{_It's...a bit complicated, a non psychic wouldn't really understand…_} She nervously chuckled.

"Try me"

{_Okay well...basically I linked both of your minds to mine, making you both able to understand me telepathically._} She tried her best to simplify it for him.

Silver went thoughtful for a second before nodding. "Oh, that makes sense I suppose...kinda like a three way." He thought out loud.

{_More or less, though you could...try your best to find a better example…_} The Kirlia said with an added blush, rubbing the back of her head.

"_Treecko…_" Storm agreed, awkwardly looking away.

"Why? What's wrong with how I said it?" Silver asked, seeming all the more confused.

Both Pokemon just looked at him and then at each-other for a moment. Aqua couldn't help but let out a faint chuckle with Storm giving a half amused smile.

"What's so funny?" The trainer asked, scratching the side of his cheek.

{_Nothing Sil, let's just head inside now._} She shook her head in amusement, leading the way inside followed by a clueless Silver and a semi amused Treecko.

Surprisingly to all three of them, it looked bigger inside than it did outside, fancier even. "Alright you two go on ahead, I'm gonna go look around. If you need me-"

{_We'll come find you._} She finished for him, giving a quick smile to which he smiled back. Watching the two of them head off to a random aisle, Silver went to a camping section of the store, where they sold tents and other various things.

* * *

The more and more he was looking, the more he was glad he saved up quite a bit of money for this as these prices were...a little ridiculous. [Five hundred dollars for a tent? Two hundred dollars for a rope and some climbing gear? Who the hell made these prices?] He thought to himself. Letting out a small groan he decided to take the rope with him, seeing it could be useful for something at least.

Little did he know, though, there was a young woman watching him curiously as he was picking out his items. She couldn't help but blush a small bit.

In her eyes, he was quite cute, and he had such a unique look. She had to wonder if he was single or not. Deciding that she couldn't just stand there, she decided to go over and strike a conversation with him.

"H-hello there" She greeted shyly, catching the trainers attention.

"Oh, hello" Silver greeted back, his eyes looking to her and then back at some of the camping gear on display. To Silver...she wasn't really that interesting.

"So uh, do you need help with anything? Not to brag, but I used to know the champion and all, perhaps I can help you out?" She smiled in a friendly manner.

Silver looked over again, curiously getting a better look at her. She had a pretty bow tied in her hair, and red clothing, and now that he saw her in more detail he saw the pokeballs on her belt. "You knew the champion?" He asked curiously.

She gave a slight laugh "Well yeah, me and him were rivals before he became champion, then we dated for a little while until…" She trailed off a bit.

"Until?" He asked curiously.

"Let's just say I made some poor decisions back then, but no need of dwelling on the past. Here, allow me to help you out!" She cheerfully said.

* * *

**Sentences for Pokemon will be translated while they aren't with their trainer.**

* * *

Meanwhile on Aquas end…

"_Are you sure you even know where we're going? This is a section for dogs!_" Storm said, clearly annoyed.

"_Look, I didn't design the place okay? And it's not like there's a map. Besides, what's the harm in exploring a little? I'm sure Silver will be busy for a while._" Aqua replied, seeming a tad annoyed herself. After all, she had been listening to Storm whine for a little while now.

"_Yeah well, I don't exactly want to get lost in some...human infested store._" He complained even further.

"_Will you-_" Aqua took a deep breath to keep her composure. "_Can you please, just stop complaining about every little thing you can imagine? It's starting to get on my nerves. Listen, I can track Silver's life force if nothing else, so you don't have to worry about getting lost here, okay?_" She glared back at him, hoping that would make him shut up for at least five minutes.

Storm rolled his eyes "_Fine…_" He sighed, letting a silence come between them as they were walking through the store. Aqua seemed relieved to hear him stop whining about it, now she felt like she could do some actual looking.

"_Curious…_" Storm started, breaking the silence "_What do you make of him so far? That human. Silver I mean._" The Treecko asked.

"_Hm? Why're you asking that? I don't know, he...seems nice. For only knowing him for such a short time I think I get along with him. Why?_" She inquired, looking back at the grass type Pokemon.

"_Well, I was just wondering, no real reason for asking. I admit he seems much more...unique than most humans I see, but that's about all I think about him._" Storm shrugged. "_I just find it interesting that you two seemed to have had a history before you met._"

"_Not much history honestly. When I was just a Ralts I saved him from a group of bullies about to attack him with a Poochyena but that's just about all that happened_." She couldn't help but feel a tad uncomfortable with how much Storm was prying.

"_Bullies huh..?_" Storm quietly said to himself, stopping in his tracks and looking to the ground in thought.

Aqua stopped in her tracks as well and looked back at him. "_Something wrong?_"

"_He...was bullied?_" He asked, a bit more softly, not looking up at the ground.

Aqua nodded "_Yeah, unfortunately. I watched him from time to time after I saved his skin, they still picked on him quite a bit even after what I did._" She replied, going a bit thoughtful herself.

"_I see. And even still he manages to be himself._" Storm said that more or less to himself than to Aqua.

"_Yeah, he's alot tougher than even I thought. I could still feel him hurting back then though, and even now as we all travel together. I wished I could've done more but…_" She trailed off, catching Storm's attention.

"_But what?_" He asked, tilting his head.

"_But...nothing. Nevermind, forget I said anything._" She said before turning around and continuing to walk forward, repressing any sort of bad emotion she was starting to feel. Mostly the guilt.

"_...Right._" Storm said before following her, remaining quiet as he let her shop around.

* * *

Back with Silver…

"Okay so, basically if I want to keep my Pokemon happy, these Pokepuffs are a good way to do it?" The young man asked curiously, gazing at the said treat behind the glass.

"Mhm! I guarantee they will love them! Hell, I've had a few myself and they aren't half bad." She laughed slightly.

"Alright, I suppose I can fit a box or two in my backpack. I'll take two please." Silver said to the man behind the counter, to which he only nodded, preparing two of them for the young trainer.

"Hey so...I never caught your name…" The woman asked with a small blush.

"Oh right! I'm Silver, and you?" He smiled politely.

"I'm May, it's nice to meet ya Sil!" She giggled playfully.

Despite how nice she seemed, he couldn't help but feel slightly...uncomfortable at her for using that nickname. It just felt wrong with anyone else other than Aqua calling him that. "Y-yeah, it's nice meeting you as well." He said a bit distantly before facing forward.

"Hm? Was the nickname a bit much?" She asked concerningly, hoping she didn't mess things up. Before Silver could reply, they both heard a notification go off from her phone and she quickly checked it. "Oh crap I'm late! We'll continue this conversation another time hun, I'll see you around!" She flashed him a slight smile before she left in a hurry.

Oddly though, Silver didn't really like how she called him hun. He didn't return the smile as she left or anything, he just...didn't seem to get it in all honesty. "Strange girl…" He said quietly to himself after she left.

{_I don't know, to me it seemed like she liked you quite a bit._} Replied an all to familiar voice. As he looked down, he saw Aqua and Storm coming towards him and instantly he couldn't help but smile on their return.

Although, he noticed Aqua's expression, seeing how bothered she looked. "Something wrong Aqua?" He asked, a bit worried.

{_Oh no, nothing, don't worry. I'm fine just...curious on who that lady was is all._} She said with her eyes narrowing a small bit.

"Oh her? I…" He then blinked a couple of times. "Huh, I could've sworn she told me her name...oh well." He shrugged his shoulders. "It's not like she was real interesting anyway." The trainer said casually.

The baker who couldn't help but overhear raised a slight eyebrow at that statement, and had to keep himself from laughing. "Sir, your pokepuffs?" He told to him.

"Oh thanks man!" Silver said with a wide grin taking the two boxes. In total, all he had gotten here was a rope and these Pokemon treats. He figured it would be easier if he traveled light.

{_Wow...I guess I had nothing to be worried over._} Aqua half teased, a bit shocked herself at how casual he seemed, already forgetting about that lady so quickly.

"You were worried about something?" He asked tilting his head.

Storm couldn't help but facepalm, almost not believing how clueless Silver was.

The Kirlia only gave an amused grin {_Man you are dense. Don't worry about it Sil, let's just get going. Me and Storm are ready._}

"...Alright if you're sure.." He shrugged, not really interested in talking about that woman anyway. "Did you guys find anything you want?"

"_Treecko tree_" Storm said with a shake of his head.

{_He says he finds alot of things in here pretty pointless, I tend to agree. Though what you have in your hand there looks interesting so I think we're good._} She said with a faint grin

"Oh don't worry, it's quite a surprise you'll see…" Silver said with a small chuckle. "I'll show you tonight when we set up camp, let's get going for now though." He nodded before leading the way.

Once he paid for all of his things and packed them up in his bag, he saw that the sun was starting to go down as soon as they all got outside. "Already? But we just got here…" He commented.

{_We have been walking most of the day you know_} She pointed out.

"Well yeah but, I didn't think we were walking for that long." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

{_You know what they say, time flies when you're having fun._} She chuckled a bit.

"Aww, you think I'm having fun with you? That's cute…" Silver playfully said.

{_Oh and you're not? Hmm, then tell me, what must I do to make you enjoy my company?_} She said with a slight seductive tone, while Storm uncomfortably looked between the both of them.

"Hmm...I suppose you can start by helping me find a hotel." He replied with an amused grin.

For a moment Aqua was silent, she wasn't sure if he was flirting back or not. {_I uh...I...what will we be doing at the h-hotel?_} She asked nervously, with Storm looking even more uncomfortable. The Kirlia couldn't help the mad blush blooming across her face

Silver scratched his head a bit "We're...gonna spend the night there? What else would we do?" In his mind, he wasn't sure why she was suddenly so nervous.

Both Storm and her looked at each-other once again, both of them wondering if he was playing dumb or not. {_Y-Yes...I think sleep would do us...all...nicely for today_} She said before clearing her throat and looking the other direction.

"I'll say, you've been acting pretty strangely today…" He commented, making Aqua look at him funnily. He only shrugged and gave a slight laugh. "Oh well, I believe I remember one this way…" He said beginning to walk in a direction.

{_Wrong way genius._} Aqua said while narrowing her eyes.

"This way!" Silver corrected, going another way.

{_Again wrong way._} She sighed and put a hand to her face. {_I memorized the map, don't worry. There was one this way…_} She pointed behind her. {_Follow me, and please...try not to get lost Sil_}. She teased.

"Pfft, as if you'd allow me to. Who's gonna give you that massage if I get lost?" He teased back.

{_Hmm...good point, I've been looking forward to that_} She grinned slightly.

"_Treecko, treecko!_" Storm complained, getting between the two.

"Alright alright Storm, we'll get going. Jeez, and they called me impatient." He commented that last part to himself, making Storm groan slightly. "Aqua, you may lead the way"

{_What an honor._} She said rolling her eyes. {_This way please._} The Kirlia lowly giggled to herself while leading them towards the hotel.

As they were all walking together, Aqua couldn't help but take a few discreet looks at the white haired trainer, finding herself getting lost in thought every now and then. [_Jeez, why am I feeling like this? I hardly know him_] She thought to herself.

However she failed to notice they were being watched from afar. The stares both aimed at her and Storm. Soon they would all learn, that this journey could derail rather quickly if they were not careful with their next moves.

* * *

**Another chapter done! See you guys next time! Let me know what you thought and if you have any suggestions feel free to message me via PM.**


	7. New Additions

**Heyo! Finally got a new chapter done with a new character about to be introduced ^^. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The next morning was much better for Silver and his Pokemon. Now having been in an actual bed, he woke up much more peacefully. However as he was in between the state of waking up and still dreaming he felt a light weight on him.

Opening his eyes fully he saw Aqua cuddled up to him, her face buried in his chest. For the first few moments he was a bit shocked to see her so close but...oddly he didn't feel the need to push her away. It almost felt natural to have her this close to him.

Last night must've brought them closer, and now that he remembered it he smiled a small bit on the memory.

* * *

As soon as they got into the Hotel Room, Silver set his bag down and sat on one of the beds with a small sigh of relief. "I'm glad they gave away a two bedroom for practically nothing. Easier on my wallet that way." The trainer commented.

{_How much money did you save up anyway?_} Aqua asked.

"About a thousand, but thanks to our little shopping spree I have about eight hundred left. More or less."

{_Ah, I see. Well hopefully we can make it last. I am curious myself why a rope costs two hundred dollars. That seems a little more than excessive if you ask me_.}

"Your guess is as good as mine, it better come in handy for...something, I don't know."

"_Treecko, Tree?_" Storm asked.

{_He's asking if you impulse bought it_} She translated.

"What? Me? Pfft, I only thought it could come in handy, I didn't-" He stopped mid sentence as soon as he noticed both of them looking skeptically at him. "Okay, maybe I bought on impulse…" He admitted, followed by Aqua's laughter afterwards.

{_Maybe I should manage your money, Sil. Haha._} She half joked.

"Can you even do that?" He provokingly asked with a small grin.

{_And who says I can't? Do you think I cannot because I'm a Pokemon?_} For a moment, she almost felt offended.

"No comment." He replied, looking in another direction, making it clear to her that he was just messing with her.

{_Oh wow. Alright, I'll remember that 'human'. But speaking of remembering, you remember your little promise?_} She asked as she sat on the bed next to him.

"Hm? Oh! Y-yea, I do remember…" The trainer rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the awkwardness.

{_If it's that uncomfortable for you, I won't force you. No need to make it weird or anything_} She casually said.

Storm took the other bed, laying down the pillows without another word. Seeing that the Treecko wasn't really complaining, Silver decided to deliver on what he said earlier. "Alright, as long as everyone is fine with it."

"_Tree._" Storm said, shrugging his shoulders as he closed his eyes.

{_How should I begin?_} Aqua asked.

"Lay down on your front and I'll do the rest." He instructed.

{_Okay...like this?_} She asked, doing as told and getting in the middle of the bed, laying flat on her stomach with her hands supporting her head up.

"Mhm, maybe just relax a bit more." He said as he climbed over to her, by her side.

{_Okay._} She laid her head into her hands and relaxed her muscles a little more, taking a deep breath.

"Perfect, now, just let me take care of you for tonight." He warmly said with a small smile.

He hesitantly but gently put his hands onto her back, and began to softly rub any tensions he may have felt. [So small…] He thought, seeing as one hand was almost enough to take up her entire back. He decided to make good use of his thumbs.

So far she had no complaints, in fact she was even beginning to enjoy it. She let out soft hums in response to him hitting sweet spots.

{_Mm, so far so good, a little more gentle if you can._} She asked, feeling more and more sleepy as time went on.

The feeling of her soft skin on his hands, the soft moans coming from her, it was enough to fluster him just a little. For a moment, he let his eyes wander to her rear, noticing it was more plump looking in this position.

Feeling his emotions and hearing some of his thoughts, she couldn't help but grin a small bit to herself and took this as an opportunity to tease him.

{_See something you like?_} She cooed slightly, making Silver snap out of his gaze and his body tense up.

"W-What? What uh...what do you mean?" He tried to lie, hoping she didn't know.

{_Shh, not so loud, you'll wake Storm._} She giggled quietly. {_I'm a little surprised at how bold you are, looking at me that way when I'm so vulnerable._}

"...How do you even know?" He quietly asked, stopping the massage as she looked back at him.

{_Because I can read your thoughts silly, I can also feel your emotions. Psychic type, remember?_} She grinned playfully at him. {_I'll let you off with a warning for now, but next time don't expect me to be so merciful_.} She winked much to his embarrassment.

"A-Alright...I'll try not to let my eyes wander…" He chuckled quietly to himself before deciding to tease her back. "But you know…" His hands went to her lower back, just above her hips. "It's not a bad view~" He cooed back.

{_S-Silver!_} She jumped slightly.

The trainer couldn't help but laugh, letting his hands go back up. "Alright alright, no more teasing for tonight. Let's just enjoy the moment." He said, giving another small chuckle.

{_F-Fine…_} She said, laying her head back down into the pillow. {_Pervert_.} She giggled.

* * *

It was certainly an interesting night, he was surprised at how bold Aqua was when it came to teasing him. It almost felt natural to him, though he could never admit it. He told himself he had to be careful as he didn't want his companions taken away just because someone got the wrong idea.

No, Pokephila wasn't illegal, but it was pretty highly frowned upon. It might as well be illegal. Most places would hold trials to decide if it's abuse or not. The judge and usually the Jury as well were almost always biased in the regard so it was out of the question.

Regardless, it wasn't like he had feelings for Aqua or Storm for that matter so he felt he could relax a bit, but at the same time he found he had to think twice about his feelings towards Aqua. Deciding to think about it later, he gently got out of bed without waking her up, putting the covers back over her so she wouldn't get cold before going into the bathroom.

After a quick cold shower (Which is very beneficial for your health, not even kidding.) He headed back out into the room to find the two now awake.

"_Treecko Tree_" Storm greeted.

{_Good morning Silver, you look refreshed._} Aqua commented.

"Nothing like a morning shower to wake you up, speaking of which anybody want a turn before we head out?" He asked, looking between both of them.

{_I'll head in, you two enjoy each-other's company_} Aqua giggled as she walked over to the bathroom.

"Need help or do you know how it works?" Silver asked.

{_I got it no worries, though it's awfully lewd of you to want to shower with me. Please Sil, have some respect_} She teased with a wink before closing the door, leaving him and Storm alone.

Silver gave a sigh, rolling his eyes as he thought about what she said. "As if, right Storm?" He looked over to his Treecko who only shrugged before laying back into the pillows.

"Right...kinda hard to talk to you when you...can't really talk back." He rubbed his neck for a moment.

"_Tree_" Storm nodded, agreeing.

The two of them ultimately ended up watching TV as they waited for the Kirlia to get out of the shower.

About twenty minutes later, Aqua came out of the bathroom with noticeable steam coming through the door. She looked and felt refreshed to face the day ahead. {_Ah, it's always nice to feel clean in the morning. Well...almost clean._} She said whilst batting an eye towards Silver, once again with a suggestive tone.

The human didn't seem to notice her tone and just brushed it off, much to Storm and her surprise. "Yeah, I get what you mean. Now then, we should probably get going if we wanna check out that gym before the afternoon." He said as he got off the bed.

The Kirlia decided to brush it off as well, knowing all too well Silver was pretty dense unless if you were pretty direct with him. {_Yeah, I agree. I'm curious to see what he's all about. I know we can't challenge him but we can at least go visit_.} She said before floating Silver's backpack over with telekinesis.

"Woah, you can use Psychic? Hah! That's awesome!" He commented, watching his backpack be engulfed in a strange orange light before dropping next to him on the bed.

{_I can do many things, all apart of being the perfect being_.} She said arrogantly with a chuckle.

"Perfect being, more like perfect ego. Am I right Storm?" Silver said, looking over to the Treecko with a grin who gave a small chuckle himself.

After having a pillow tossed at him the three of them headed out of the hotel room. Silver couldn't help but feel eager to meet the gym leader. Normally you'd only go there to fight but you can get some training done with the other trainers that are there.

While they were walking, they saw a crowd of people all surrounding something just outside the Pokemon Center, and the sounds of a battle could be heard.

"Alright, use flamethrower!" They heard a voice say, and after a brief moment they all saw an orange-like light reflect on the crowd with oohs and ahs here and there.

The trio stopped when they heard all the commotion. "A pokemon fight?" Silver guessed.

{_Only one way to find out._} Aqua said before allowing Silver to take the lead.

Pushing a bit through the crowd, they saw two trainers duking it out with one having a Blaziken and the other with a Lucario. From what Silver could tell, these trainers had lots of experience, ace trainers they were usually called.

{_Looks like some sort of mock battle._} Aqua commented as they observed the fighting.

Mock battle seemed to be an understatement. The two trainers were really going all out. The Lucario moved at speeds almost hard to see and the Blaziken dodged attacks left and write while using fire based attacks.

With the Lucario using Bone Rush to attack its opponent, the Blaziken was having a hard time dodging. However after the fire Pokemon received one or two hits, it got tired of the constant dodging. Acting quickly it used a double kick on the Lucario, knocking him back a few meters, and then finishing the fight with an overcharged flame kick. The Lucario was knocked down, unable to continue fighting and was returned to the Pokeball for its rest.

"Hah, looks like I win. Maybe that will shut you up for a change." The victorious trainer said before putting his own Pokemon back into the Pokeball. "You did good Blaze." The trainer said to his own Pokeball.

The one who lost however, didn't look all that happy but instead only glared at the man who beat him. Then he glared at the crowd who witnessed him lose. "What are you all looking at? Go home already!" He shouted before storming out in an angry tantrum towards the woods.

Silver couldn't help but feel a bit bad for the trainer. While the other guy gloated about his victory, Silver began to follow him to the woods.

{_Sil? Where are you going?_} Aqua asked.

"I'm going to go find him, you guys go ahead and check out the gym. I'll be alright." Silver said, not stopping in his path.

Being forced to follow, Aqua and Storm gave chase. {_What, without you? We're a team, we should all stick together._}

"_Tree, Tree_." Storm agreed.

Silver stopped to looked behind him and smiled. "I get the feeling I can't convince you."

Aqua shook her head {_Not even if you used your sappy, cheesy words_.} She smiled back.

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Fair enough. Alright, fine, just stay close. This guy seems like a timebomb waiting to go off." He warned before heading back to the woods they came from, towards the way he saw him go.

{_Don't worry Sil, I'll protect you if something happens._} She reassured, causing the young trainer to smile warmly at her words.

As the three were getting closer and closer to where the trainer was, they could hear the sounds of someone yelling.

Focusing on some of the words, Silver picked up on a sentence.

"...And you always fail at it!"

{_Oh boy…_} Aqua commented, already not liking where this was going.

Deciding to sneak up and scope it out, they all got to the clearing, with the three of them hiding behind a bush.

The trainer from earlier had his Lucario out in front of him.

"You always do this! Every fucking time, you've never been good enough! Never!" The trainer yelled with the Lucario looking down in shame. "Why do you even stick around? What? Because we grew up together makes you think we're good friends? It doesn't! It makes me angry you can't bother to get stronger! The powa of fwendship will make us strongr" He said that last part in a baby voice, mocking the Aura Pokemon.

Whatever sympathy Silver had for the trainer was gone, only to be replaced with feelings of anger and hate. He clenched his hands into fists, tightly. "That mother-" He grit his teeth. Seeing the Lucario with his head down, looking like he was on the verge of tears was enough to set him off.

Aqua immediately noticed this and though her feelings were that of hate as well, she made it a priority to calm her master. {_Sil, calm down. Don't do anything you'll regret. Let's just go_} She said to him and Storm telepathically.

"_Tree_" Storm whispered with a shake of his head much to Aqua's dislike.

"I agree with him, I can't sit here and do nothing." Silver said seriously, not looking at her and still staring at the trainer and his Pokemon.

{_Silver I get it, I really do, but I'm not about to let you put yourself in that. We should just leave and let them be. This isn't our business._} Aqua stated, feeling she was the only one with the voice of reason.

"There's someone being bullied in front of us, can't you see that? I'm not ignoring it. To be honest...I'm disappointed that you choose to walk the other way like a coward." Silver shot her a glare for a moment before standing up and walking into the clearing.

For Aqua, it felt like she was just pierced through the heart. She was just stuck there, stunned at her masters brutal honesty. For now all she could do was watch as Silver and Storm walked into the clearing.

"Hey, you!" Silver called out to the trainer, an intense look in his eye.

The trainer let out a growl, looking at the boy with searing rage. "And who the hell are you? Another trainer? Get lost cum-stain, I don't have time for a battle." He said angrily. The Lucario looked to the other trainer as well, wondering what his intentions were.

"Well you're certainly a crude person. Does picking on a Pokemon make you feel better? Does it help you compensate for the fact you suck at battle?" Silver taunted with a small smirk.

The Lucario recoiled slightly, stunned to see his master be talked to in such a way. No ones ever had the balls to come up to him like that.

"Excuse me? Fuck off kid, this isn't your business. I can talk to my Pokemon the way I want. He listens and obeys, like every good little Pokemon should do…" The trainer grinned, looking at his Lucario and giving a nod.

Storm got ready, prepared to fight this much...older...much more experienced Lucario. Yeah, Storm had the feeling that he wasn't going to win this one.

The Lucario looked back at his trainer and then the other one, reluctantly getting into a combat position...only to revert in a normal standing position moments later much to everyone's surprise.

"Luke? What the hell are you doing? You can't be serious right now." The 'ace' trainer angrily growled.

[_Lucario's can sense the aura of all living things. They can see who a person truly is and what they intend simply by looking at their aura. Much like the Gardevoir family. Is...is that Lucario doing what I think he's doing?_] Aqua thought to herself as she watched.

The Lucarios, now known as Luke shook his head and looked back at his trainer. He was openly defying his trainer. "_Lu_" He said in a defiant tone, looking at the ace with narrowed eyes.

"You won't fight him? Why? He made fun of me!" He stomped his feet much like a child.

"Dude, you have some serious problems…" Silver whispered to himself.

"Then if that's how you wanna play, fine!" The ace trainer took the Pokeball that belonged to the Lucario and threw it at Silver, to which he caught it with both hands. "Say hello to your new master, because I'm done with you! You hear me? Done!" He yelled.

The Lucario's eyes went wide as he looked back at the white haired human and then his original master. "L-Lucario!" The aura Pokemon took a step closer only for the ace trainer to shake his head.

"No! This was the final straw. You wanna be a worthless Pokemon? Then go with a worthless shit stain of a trainer! I'm done!" He yelled before storming off once again, this time for good.

Seeing the sadness on the Lucario's face, both he and Storm couldn't help but feel extremely bad for him. Silver took a few steps forward and got behind the Pokemon, placing a hand gently on his shoulder, which made him flinch a bit. "Hey...I'm...I'm really sorry for the way it turned out. If you want, we can go after him and try to get you back I-" He cut himself off, unsure of what else to say.

Luke only shook his head, wiping away a tear that escaped his eye with a paw before taking Silver's hand off his shoulder. He turned around to face the trainer and looked at the Pokeball still in his hand. Not letting the human say another word, the Lucario reached out and pushed the button on it himself, letting himself in the Pokeball on free will.

Silver held the Pokeball up to his face, seeing his own reflection in it. He wasn't sure how to feel at the moment. He had obtained a Lucario which was pretty rare in the Hoenn region but he didn't feel right keeping it.

Aqua decided to show herself and walked right next to him, seeing him so lost in thought. She wasn't sure what to say other than she was sorry he had to see that. {_...Humans can be so cruel._} She finally spoke after a moment of silence.

"Yea…" He replied a bit distantly.

Storm walked next to the Kirlia, wondering what to do himself. The two looked at each-other with sorry looks on their faces. {_...So, what should we do now?_} Aqua asked.

Silver took a deep breath and put the capsule on his belt before looking back at Aqua. "I suppose we can go visit that gym now, I know you both were awfully curious about it." He said trying to cheer them both up.

She and Storm gave a small smile before nodding. {_Yeah sure but…_} Her smile faded just as quickly. {_What about that Lucario? Do you plan on keeping him?_} She didn't want to bring it up again but she had to know.

"...For now, yes. I'm going to give him time to process everything that's happened and after that I'll let him out and ask what he wants to do. I won't force him on the team even though he looks strong." He said with a serious look.

{_...You're truly unique as a human Sil, it's sadly rare that humans are that selfless._} She said with a small sad sigh. {_Alright, I suppose I don't object to the idea. Giving him some time for now sounds like a good idea so let's leave it at that for now_.} She concluded.

Silver nodded before looking to Storm. "What about you? You agree with any of this? You are part of the team after all."

Storm looked at him for a moment before looking at Aqua, seeing they both agreed he felt like he had no real choice but it was nice to him Silver wanted to hear his thoughts as well. "_Treecko tree treecko. Tree_" Storm nodded.

{_He says he agrees with the decision, however he feels that we should take caution as abandoned Pokemon can be...hostile. I tend to agree with him and especially in a Lucario's case_.} Aqua translated and nodded.

"Why especially?" Silver asked.

{_Well...Lucario's are a prideful type of Pokemon. They don't take loss easily and can be real aggressive to a trainer who doesn't know what they're doing, AKA you._} She wasn't trying to be mean but they both knew the truth. The young man rushed into this, he had no idea what he would be getting into.

He frowned at that and sighed deeply "...Gee, thanks Aqua." He said with a bit of a hurt tone.

{_Well I'm sorry Sil but it's the truth, you weren't properly prepared before you left. But even more than that you're very new to all of this, it'll take you time to learn and grasp the ropes. Just...always be willing to learn, and don't make such a sad expression. I think you should take that as something to push you to be better_.} She smiled slightly, hoping it would motivate him.

It did seem to cheer him up and he gave a nod. "Right, yeah I shouldn't let that stop me." He said while looking at her, with another spark of determination in his eye.

Aqua couldn't help but smile even more for that moment, knowing he was serious. {_Come on, let's get out of this forest. Too many weirdos here._}

"I'll say. I saw one that had blue hair and these gorgeous amber eyes. I thought she was a little strange at first but she turned out to be actually pretty great." He teased, though it's not really teasing when he thought all of it was true now was it?

She couldn't help but blush, looking away bashfully and trying to keep her composure. {_We should...we should go_.} She cleared her throat before walking back towards the town once again.

[It's cute when she gets all shy like that.] He thought to himself while his Treecko couldn't help but faintly smile at the situation. The two of them followed her back to where they were originally going to go.

They passed the Pokemon center on the way there, seeing the crowd had dispersed and a cleanup crew was cleaning out the storch marks off the street. "Huh...so there are people who clean up after Pokemon battles. Neat." He said more to himself as they continued on.

The Gym wasn't all that far from there so it wasn't a long walk. Upon their arrival Silver noticed Aqua was being more quiet than usual.

"Everything okay Blue?" He asked, looking to the Kirlia in question.

Using the nickname 'Blue' she gave a small smile, thinking it was rather cute though surprising all the same. {_I...yeah, I'll be fine Sil…_} She replied a bit distantly.

"Hmm, is it what I said earlier? I may have taken it a bit too far...I'm sorry." He said with an apologetic look on his face.

She shook her head {_No...it's not that. You were right to feel that way since you've gone through that yourself. I guess I'm just mad at myself for not helping_.} She sighed heavily though noticed his concerned look on his face so before he could say anything, she continued.

{_I'm proud of you Sil, going with what you believe despite what others think. It's a very rare trait among both humans and Pokemon and so I think...I should try my best to learn from you. Just as you learn from me, I can learn from you. Deal?_} She smiled warmly.

Silver couldn't help himself but to get lost in her eyes in that moment, and mixed with that smile of hers it made it all seem like a dream for him. "Deal" He said, smiling back before they finally got to the gym.

As they walked inside, they could see it was more like a dojo than an actual gym. There they saw trainers battling with Pokemon and some even sparring with their companions.

"Hello there, welcome!" A middle aged man approached them, with short black hair and an almost piercing gaze. "My name is Norman, father of the regions Champion. Have you come for the badge?" He asked.

Silver shook his head, "No haha, I'm afraid I'm not ready to take you on just yet as I've only just started my journey."

The man now known as norman looked a bit surprised to hear that. "Just a beginner huh? And already with a shiny Kirlia?" He asked, looking to Aqua who felt a little uncomfortable beneath his gaze.

"It's a bit of a long story but yes. She saved me from a wild Pokemon in the forest and she offered to travel with me. She's not officially on my team though sad to say." He said, gently putting his hand on her head.

{_I'm not a dog you know_.} She said with a bit of an offended tone.

"I see. Now that I got a good look of you, you do look pretty green. Why don't you follow me?" He offered and with a nod from Silver, he followed Norman deeper into the dojo where normally only challengers would go.

"Since you are a noobie, I feel it is my responsibility to help you out with a little tutorial to put it in your terms." Norman said as he threw out a Spinda.

Having no choice but to go with it, Silver nodded to Storm to get out there on the battlefield.

Once the Treecko took his place and got into position, Silver saw the smirk on Norman's face.

[_Interesting...Storm isn't the type to take orders so easily…_] Aqua commented in her own head

"Something wrong?" Silver asked, wondering what was up with the look.

"No, nothing at all. It's just interesting to see how a new trainer operates with his Pokemon. Anyways, now that you're ready, let's begin with some basics." Norman said, prompting his Pokemon to get ready.

And so, for the next hour and a half Norman taught Silver how to properly conduct a battle between two trainers, giving him a few tips here and there but ultimately seeing where Silver was at in terms of his skill.

With the Spinda now finally fainted, and with Storm panting, Norman clapped his hands. "Well done noobie, you won your first Pokemon fight. How's it feel?" He asked.

"Well, I don't feel very accomplished seeing as you went easy on me. I won't get stronger if all my opponents hold back." Silver replied as he took his Pokeball out and looked at Storm seeing if he wanted in.

Storm gave a nod, and with that Silver returned him in the capsule.

"I understand how you feel there, my son felt the same way when he was younger. However, I told him something that I will now tell you so listen up." After getting Silver's full attention, he continued.

"Physical improvements are one thing, but true strength all comes from the mind. If you can't keep a calm mind in battle, and if you can't see through your opponent, you might as well not battle at all. Here's the thing kid, I didn't hold back with my Spinda."

Upon hearing that, Silver's eyes widened a bit, causing Norman to grin slightly. "You and your Treecko's bond with one another gave you just the edge you needed to beat me. Keep in mind though, power based on feeling can only carry you so far, much like strength."

"So wait, which one should I focus on more? My friendship, my mind, or my overall power?" Silver asked, a bit confused.

"A balance of all three is the perfect way to go in my opinion, though I might be a little biased. Your bond with your Pokemon is peculiar to me, so based on that battle I'd say that's your biggest strength so far. Tell me, how long have you had them for?" Norman asked.

"About...three days I think?" Silver looked to Aqua, wondering if that was right and she gave a nod.

{_Well technically, we met when you were young but…_} She trailed off.

Norman looked almost stunned. "Really? Three days? I see, well if you get along that well with them, perhaps there's not much to worry about after all."

"You really think so?" Silver asked.

"No, I know so. Kid, I've been a gym leader for a long time, and I know a unique trainer when I see one. You begin to see patterns in what makes a strong trainer. For instance, you treat your Pokemon as if they're one of your own which is an incredible feat." He nodded.

"But isn't that normal to treat them like that? I mean...they're as smart as we are, if not more so." Silver commented.

Aqua couldn't help but grin {_Careful, it's learning_.}

"Well not these days, unfortunately, trainers usually see their Pokemon as one would see a dog. Just a family loved pet though nothing really beyond that. Nothing wrong with it mind you as the Pokemon in question do like the attention they get but...there's always something special that blooms between a human and a Pokemon when the human in question shows equal respect. That, my boy, is why I believe you to be a unique trainer."

Silver looked to Aqua, who only smiled him to which he couldn't help but smile back.

"Well...I thank you for the lesson, sir." Silver said, giving a polite bow towards the gym leader.

Norman couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Don't mention it kid, but I think I'd like to hear it when you come back stronger than you are now, and after we have our battle. Make sure you prepare yourself, because I'm going all out when that time comes."

"That makes two of us, I won't lose to you, I can promise you that." Silver grinned.

The two of them exchanged a small laugh before saying their goodbyes to one another. As Silver was on his way out, Aqua had a thought. {_Hey Sil?_} She asked.

"Something wrong Blue?" He looked over as they exited the gym.

{_...I was wondering, do you have a pokedex?_} She asked.

Silver took a moment to think. "Oh! Yeah he did give me one before I left. I completely forgot all about it until you mentioned it, why do you ask?"

{_Well, I was wondering why you weren't using it. Most trainers rely on that to help them better understand us._} Aqua wondered.

"Well...like I said I completely spaced it out. I would say something like 'I don't need to use it' but I think that could be a good idea. It also has a map and a few other features that would be useful." He trailed off a moment in thought before he pulled it out.

The Kirlia looked at it and then at him curiously as they stopped in front of the Pokecenter.

{_You don't wanna keep it away? Challenge yourself a little?_} She teased with a slight grin.

"Not sure why I would do that, if I got the resources, why don't I use them? That said...I don't think I'll be using it that much. After all, I have you, what more could I need?" He said before putting it away and giving her a smile.

Aqua couldn't help but blush at that statement and so she looked away bashfully, trying to think of something to say. {_W-well uh...y-you sure know your way around words…_} She cleared her throat awkwardly, much to Silver's amusement.

"It's cute whenever you get all shy like that. Not so fun being on the receiving end huh?" He chuckled, still playing with her a little.

{_S-Shut up! I'm not cute!_} Aqua protested, making Silver laugh this time.

"Can't change my mind on that one...anyway, we should probably get going from this town. I don't really like cities all that much." He said before motioning for her to follow before walking towards the exit to the place, which led into a more thicker forest.

{_Can't argue with you on that one. I prefer nature over concrete anyday_}

And with that, the both of them left off to head to the next city. Now that Silver had a better grasp on what it meant to be a trainer, he felt more confident with moving forward. Though there was still something gnawing at the back of his mind.

That Lucario...

* * *

**Finally another chapter done. This one took me a little longer as I wasn't sure where I should go next with the story. I do have a rough idea on where I should go now though if I'm going to be posting longer chapters it's going to take a little more time. Anyways, hope you enjoyed and as always see you next time!**


	8. Close Call

**Been a little while huh? Things have been pretty busy on my end so my free time has been very short as of lately. Enough excuses though, I will try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can but for now I hope you enjoy this one! Happy New Years everyone and as always...enjoy! ^^  
**

* * *

"Trees, trees, and oh look...more trees." Silver sighed as he walked along the path they needed to go. It had been a couple hours since he had left the previous town and began heading towards the next one.

{_You do know where we're going right? I don't think you ever mentioned what the next town was,_} Aqua asked, a bit curious about just how far they had to go.

"I think the Pokedex said Rustboro City if I remember correctly, but yes I do know the way...we have alot of forest to go through still." Silver said, feeling a bit tired just from the idea of walking through so much.

{_Ah, the hardships of a Pokemon Trainer, doesn't compare to a cozy life living with your mom eh?_} Aqua teased, making Silver look at her with a slightly annoyed look. {_Aw relax, I'm only teasing ...though I will admit it must be difficult to adapt so quickly. I know you had a hard time sleeping your first night._} She pointed out, making casual conversation.

"I wouldn't say difficult just...different. It's just something I'll have to get used to is all, no big deal." He shrugged, pushing a branch out of his face as they moved deeper into the forest.

{_That's the spirit Sil, and don't worry...I'll be with you every step of the way_} Aqua said with an almost proud smile.

"I'll hold you to that." Silver said, smiling back.

* * *

They walked together in silence for a little while, neither saying much other than some casual conversation. It wasn't until they stumbled across a figure lying on the ground, a man.

Upon closer inspection, they could see that this man wasn't breathing and he looked pale. "Okay...ominous um...Aqua is he…?"

{_He's dead...and I don't think it was due to natural causes_} She stated in a serious tone, looking at their surroundings and seeing claw marks in the trees.

"Who could have done this..?" Silver asked, crouching down next to the dead man, turning him over only to feel his stomach turn and quickly flinch away. The man's throat was cut, cleanly too, no signs of any struggle.

{_I...don't know...but it won't do us any good staying here. I don't sense anything around so come on, let's just go…_} She said, putting a hand on his shoulder, feeling what he felt.

"Yeah...not much we can do from here." He replied, still feeling pretty sick to his stomach, trying not to throw up. He stood up and nodded to her, heading away from the scene. As they were walking away, Aqua grabbed hold of his hands as a means of comfort.

"I'm not a little girl you know, you don't need to do that…" He said, trying to get his hand out of hers but she was quicker and snatched it back into hers.

{_Silver, you don't need to act tough with me, I know you're scared and to be honest...I kinda am too. I'm doing this for my comfort too…_} She said with a slight scoff.

"R-Right ...sorry just...I've never seen a dead body before…" He said with a small shudder, feeling a bit bad for his words.

{_No harm done, you never get used to it...I know that for sure…_} She said with a sad sigh.

"You've seen dead bodies before?" Silver asked.

{...} She didn't respond, only looking the other way and clearly not in the mood to talk about it.

"You know you can-"

{_I don't want to_} She abruptly responded before he could even finish his thought. He did notice she squeezed his hand a bit tighter.

"I see...alright, then if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. Maybe later." He said with a small sigh.

{_Maybe ...sorry Sil I just don't want to revisit anything. We need to stay on guard_}

"I understand, I won't force you in that case, but yeah we need to keep an eye out…" He said, not feeling the least bit offended though it did pique his curiosity greatly about her. She knew this of course so she felt guilty for stirring it up with him.

The more and more they walked, the more of a creepy feeling Aqua was, beginning to get, like they were being watched. Living in the forest for so long taught her to always trust her gut feeling, and so she knew something was watching them.

Silver had the same sort of feeling, though he more or less shook it off as him reacting to seeing someone dead.

The deeper they got, the worse the feeling and as she felt something approach her master at an alarming rate, she acted quickly and grabbed his head, pulling down as hard as she could and making him duck. There was the sound of claws swiping through the air, and a thud, like something landing. She looked over to their attacker, releasing Silver's head.

"It's a Zoroark!" He said as soon as he got a glimpse of it. The Pokemon slowly stood up and turned around to face them.

{_Stay behind me, I'll protect you_} Aqua said as she got in front of Silver, ready to defend him.

"_Zor…_" The dark type Pokemon held out its claws as a means to try and intimidate her, though she wouldn't falter and began to charge a shadowball in her hands. Silver did exactly that, though looked ready to issue commands should he need to. The two were in sync and their attacker could see that well.

The Zoroark laid out her options, it was no fool. It knew it had the type advantage against a Kirlia but that didn't mean she would automatically win, and this Kirlia looked far stronger than any it's seen before, and those eyes of her trainer ...it told her that this would be no easy battle and therefore not worth it. Taking a step back it quickly turned around and ran into the forest, disappearing into the shadows of the trees.

"She fled…" Silver said, looking a bit relieved.

{_Yeah, kinda glad she...wait she? How do you know its a she?_} Aqua asked, looking over to him curiously.

"You can tell by their noses, the females have slightly shorter noses than the males and are usually smarter when it comes to fights. I looked up a few things about Pokemon before I left if you remember…" Silver responded. "Guess we know what killed that guy, we better get out of her territory before she offs us with another sneak attack."

Aqua gave a nod. {_Couldn't agree more, let's go, there should be more light up ahead_} She said as she began to follow Silver.

* * *

After another hour or so of walking it began to get dark, and it was time for them to set up camp. They didn't seem to be able to get out of the darkest part of the woods yet but at the very least they felt more safe when they saw more bug type Pokemon roaming around.

{_Sil, do you think we'll be able to use that Lucario during your next battle?_} Aqua asked as he was setting up the tent.

"Not unless if he wants to, I'm not gonna force him. That said it would give us an advantage since the next gym leader specializes in Rock type." He said with a slight hum.

{_My thoughts exactly, though if he doesn't want to battle what exactly will you do with him? He can't just stay in the party if he won't fight_.}

"Who says?" Silver asked, stopping his work on setting up the tent to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

{_Your team captain_} She replied back with a grin.

"Team captain? I don't remember appointing anyone to be my captain." He grinned back at her, turning his body towards her.

{_Oh so you think you're in control human? Maybe I should show you just how strong a Pokemon can be~_} She said with a coo in her voice, making it sound seductive like.

"Better be careful what you wish for. Humans tend to get creative when put under certain ...circumstances~" He cooed back, surprising her a bit.

{_W-Well uh…._} She wasn't sure what to retort, making Silver laugh at her embarrassment.

"Hahaha sorry Blue, it's just cute when you try to tease me and it doesn't work how you intended. Nice try though." He said with a wink, feeling quite amused with himself.

{_Hmph_}. She huffed and looked the other way. "_Kirlia Kir, lia._" She muttered in her pokespeech, which translated to: _Who said it wasn't my intent_.

After another small laugh Silver finished up the tent and the bedding, everything they would need before taking out Storm's Pokeball and letting him out.

The Treecko yawned and looked around. "_Treecko tree?_" He asked.

{_He's asking why we're not in the hotel_} She translated.

"Because we're on our way to the next town, don't worry we'll get another hotel there." Silver said, petting Storms head to which the grass type Pokemon huffed and slapped his hand away, going inside the tent. "Well someone's moody…" He said with a sigh.

{_Not all Pokemon like to be pet on the head you know, especially ones that like to look tough like him._} Aqua said as a matter of factly. {_Though I sure hope we get there soon, I'd kill for a bed again._} She said with a giggle.

"Yeah I'm sure you would, little killer." The trainer teased, petting Aqua on the head next with a grin.

{_H-Hey...I just told you that not all...mm...it does feel nice though_} She said with a small grunt, liking the way his hand moved through her hair.

"Looks like I found one that likes to be petted~" He cooed with a small teasing tone, laughing a bit.

{_Shut up, I'm supposed to be the one that teases you! Not the opposite way around!_} She protested, waving her arms up and down much like a child.

"Hahaha, I'd say I'm adapting quickly to the wild after all. But in all seriousness ...ready to bring him out?" Silver asked as he stood up, taking out the Lucario's Pokeball, his face falling a bit when he looked at it.

{_I don't think I need to be ready for much, he won't do anything vicious I don't think._} Aqua said, though prepared herself just in case.

"I don't think so either, though I'm more world about how he's mentally doing rather than anything else...let's see." With that, Silver brought out the Lucario from out of the Pokeball, materializing him into the world...sitting on the ground.

Luke opened his eyes and looked around, noticing they were in a dark forest and that he was with the same human his trainer put him with. "Lu…" The Lucario greeted, wondering why he was summoned.

"Hey Luke, it's nearly night time so I was wondering if you wanted to be out of your Pokeball for a bit, stretch your legs a little." Silver asked as he crossed his arms.

The Lucario looked slightly surprised but looked off to the side, not saying a word but just walking off into the trees.

"Luke? Hey where are you..going…" Silver trailed off, seeing Luke not even look back at him. "I...guess that's his answer."

{_Don't take it too personally Sil, he's not going to warm up to you in less than a day. He probably needs some air and food to clear his mind._} Aqua said.

"Well yeah but...what if he gets hurt? And what if he doesn't come back?" He asked, looking a bit worried.

{_Silver, like I said Pokemon can take care of themselves, they don't need constant supervision. At least...not all of them._} She sighed. {_And if he doesn't come back then he doesn't come back, there's no use chasing after him as that will be his decision to make...not yours._}

"I know, I know, but still it feels wrong to just leave him out there...especially with that Zoroark running around." He uncrossed his arms.

{_Silver…_} Aqua reaching out and grabbed his hand, getting him to look at her. {_Trust me, he'll be fine. Now come on, let's get some rest for the night_} She said as she tugged him towards the tent which he reluctantly complied and let her drag him. He took one last look in the direction the Lucario went before he went inside...hoping the Aura Pokemon would be fine on his own.

* * *

**Pokemon Speech will be translated for convenience purposes from this point.**

Luke still had a hard time processing everything that had happened with him, how his master just handed him off to some stranger. In his opinion, Silver was as green as they come and had no clue what he was doing. He was mostly right and that's what frustrated him internally.

At the same time he knew it wasn't Silver's fault, he just happened to be there when it all went down. Finding a small clearing nearby he sat down on a downed log. He sighed to himself.

His peace of mind in the silence didn't last long however, he could sense something nearby watching him closely. His eyes scanned the trees only to find nothing. He closed them and used his aura to feel around and sure enough he felt something...though not what he expected. He opened his eyes to look in that direction. A Gardevoir had come out of the bushes, curiously looking at him.

"_What do you want? If you're looking for food there's probably some berries just that way_" The Lucario said as he pointed the opposite way of Silver's camp.

The Gardevoir had no response, only continuing to look at him curiously and float a bit closer to him. Something seemed off about her.

"_Look...I would appreciate it if you could just leave me alone. I don't have time to play or whatever it is you want…_" Luke said as he turned the other way, away from the Gardevoir.

She walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, which already annoyed him enough before she spoke some words to him. "_I know what it's like_"

The voice sounded nothing like a Gardevoir. The tone was much...darker, smoother. His eyes widened and as he felt the hand of the Gardevoir change and shift into some claws he quickly turned back around and saw none other than a Zoroark looking him in the eyes.

"_Relax...if I wanted to hurt you I would've already made my attempt._" She reassured him.

"_And how do I know that?_" The Lucario aggressively asked as he swiped her claws off of his shoulder, and stood up, closer to the Zoroark than he would've intended.

She gave a light giggle to this and gently pushed him to sit back down on the log, which he did with a slight thud and grunt. He was about to fight back before she put her claws back on both of his shoulders, making him stop. Something about her touch and her look calmed him a bit, though also sent his mind into panic at the same time. "_Because you would've been dead by now. You can be as strong as you want but the second you lower your guard is the moment you die when you're faced with an opponent...or in your case intruder._" She said with a soft him, taking her claws off of him and sitting next to the Lucario.

"_Intruder? I-_" He cut himself off as he looked back to the trees, now seeing the claw marks within them that marked her territory. "_I didn't see them…_" He said, internally cursing himself for not being more vigilant to those sorts of details.

"_I know, that's why I didn't initially attack you. Besides that though...I saw you with that human when he released you, and you just walked off without saying much of anything to him. I was curious what could cause you to walk off so suddenly. He doesn't seem like a bad human even if he's also an intruder_." She eyed him, wondering what he could respond with.

"_Tch, like I care what he's like. I don't belong to him in the first place and I'm sure he'll get rid of me first chance he gets...just like my master did_." He said that last part in a more quiet and hurt tone...something she definitely took notice of.

"_Hm...so are you saying he stole you? Or that your master left you with him?_" She asked, still sounding as calm as could be.

"_My master...abandoned me, gave my Pokeball to him, all because I lost at a gym fight._" Luke said, turning his head to look away from her.

"_It must be frustrating to have to deal with someone new. I'm sorry you had to go through that._"

"_It's not his fault...that human probably saved me and I just don't know it but he's completely clueless, I don't think he understands the first thing about what it means to be a trainer…_" Luke said.

"_And just what does it mean?_" The Zoroark asked him, fully turning her head towards him.

"..." There was no reply, he wasn't sure how to exactly respond to the question. Just what did it really mean? His old master said that it meant that you had a job to become the strongest, and those that are weaker fall below everyone else.

"_You know what I think? Compared to your old master...or at least what you told me of him...you're probably better off with someone else...even if they're as clueless as they come._" She said as she looked ahead, being able to slightly hear the sound of a fire going. She had planned to destroy their little campsite and them while they were sleeping...but this Lucario sorta changed her mind on that.

"_You really think so?_" Luke asked, looking back to her.

"_I've been around for a while...and I've seen many humans come through this forest. Usually I don't bother them unless if they stray from the path like this one did, but I can tell a bad human from a good human pretty quickly. The way his Kirlia jumped in front of him...willing to give her life...that's when I knew._" She gave a small smile to that.

"_You tried to attack them?_" Luke asked.

"_I did because they saw my marks ...thinking back on it now, they probably had no clue that it signified it was my territory, so they most likely brushed it off._" She sighed and shrugged.

"_Well I suppose it's a good thing you didn't?_" He said, almost like a question.

She gave a giggle to this, patting him on the head, much to his annoyance. "_You're cute…_" She said as she stood up "_I should go before they spot me, I'll be keeping watch over all of you for the night to make sure you're safe so you can relax._" She said as she began to walk away from the Lucario.

"_Hold on-_" He said, making her stop for a moment. "_Why bother helping us in the first place? What's in it for you?_" Luke asked.

She looked back at him, giving a soft smile. "_Truth be told, I think you're pretty cute and it would be unfortunate if something bad were to happen to you._" She said, making the Lucario blush a bit. "_And because I am slightly curious about that human your with, he seems different. I wanna watch how he interacts with his Pokemon and see how he behaves. I'm also curious about his Kirlia he has with him._"

"_I see…I guess I should thank you for not attacking me outright then…_" He said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"_Don't mention it, you're just lucky I find you interesting otherwise you would've all ended up dead_." She said with a wink before she turned back around. "_Take care and try to spend a little time with him. The better you get to know your trainer...the better your chances are of getting along with him_" And with that she disappeared into the shadows of the forest, leaving behind a thoughtful Lucario…

* * *

Back with the others, Silver was currently doing some training with Storm thanks to Aqua's suggestion.

"Alright Storm, catch her off guard, use pound!" Silver said as Storm tried to hit the Kirlia with his tail with her easily dodging the attack.

{_You're gonna have to do better than that to 'catch me off guard' Sil~_} She taunted with a smirk.

"Don't look smug yet, that was just to size you up. Storm! Quick attack!" Silver shouted.

"_Tree."_ The Pokemon nodded, vanishing into thin air and suddenly appearing in front of Aqua. He spun around and hit her with his tail again which landed this time.

She gave a slight grunt as she was sent skidding back on her feet a bit from the hit, giving them both a smile. {_Ooo, changing your strategy up are you? Well let's see if you can tank this_.} She said as she charged a shadowball in her hand, quickly throwing it at the Treecko.

"Storm, counter it with an energy ball!" Silver said as Storm gave a nod, charging an energy ball as quickly as he could and launching it at the shadowball. There was an explosion of energy in the air that kicked up alot of dirt and smoke. "Alright quick, while her sight is obstructed use-"

He was cut off when the Kirlia teleported in front of Storm and launched a second shadowball up close. The attack sent him flying past Silver and face down on the ground.

{_Oops...I think I might've put too much power into it…_} Aqua said, feeling slightly guilty.

"Storm, are you alright?" Silver asked while rushing over, crouching next to the Treecko as he tried to stand back up, which he managed to do so though very roughly and shakily. "I think that's enough for today buddy, you did a good job." Silver praised with a small smile.

Storm gave a sigh "_Treecko treecko, tree…_" He seemed sad that he wasn't able to beat her.

"_Kirlia kir, kir kir lia._" Aqua responded as she walked over to them, using heal pulse on the Treecko which he lowly thanked.

"What did you say?" Silver asked.

{_He was upset he wasn't able to beat me, so I reassured him and told him that I'm just beyond his level and that he did a good job despite the odds._} She translated with a small smile. {_You too, that was good thinking countering my shadowball with an energy ball. What was your next move after that?_} She curiously asked.

"I was gonna try and have him use Solar Beam while you couldn't see. It should've been charged by the time the smoke cleared. I forgot you can feel him though…" Silver said as he rubbed his neck.

{_Don't feel too bad about it, it wasn't a bad call to make. Next time try to think a little ahead though before you make your moves. It also helps to remember what type of opponent you're fighting silly._} She teased with a grin to which Silver gave a short laugh.

"I suppose you're right, I'll try harder next time Blue." The two of them smiled at one another though snapped their heads to the left when they heard some rustling. Emerged from the bushes was the Lucario.

{_Oh hey, he's back._} Aqua said, looking a bit relieved it wasn't the Zoroark though little did they know.

"_Lu…_" Luke greeted them again, giving a small nod to Silver. "_Lucario Lu, Lucario_."

{_He says he's sorry for walking off like that._} Aqua translated for Silver.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I'm sure this is all kinda...hard on you but I promise you'll be treated much better under my care. We were just about to roast some marshmallows if you wanna join." Silver said, holding up a bag of marshmallows with a small smile.

The Lucario gave a small smile back to him, and gave a nod. "_Lu_" He responded.

{_He says he would like to._} Aqua said, also smiling at this.

And for that night, they all got together around the fire with Silver talking casually to them and all that. Luke wasn't very talkative, he only listened but that was to be expected so Silver didn't press on him too much though did try to include him in whatever he was talking about.

For now things seemed peaceful, tame, though Aqua wondered if it would remain that way for long. She knew this was only the start, and that trouble was bound to follow as long as she was with them. In the end, she decided to live in the moment, and enjoy a nice night with her human and his new Pokemon friends.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! I'm planning on a few different things so stay tuned, it will get intense pretty quickly.**


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